Basket of Fruits
by Ongaku no Usagi
Summary: A bunch of one-shots regarding little things in the Sohma family, mostly after the curse.
1. Confession

Basket of Fruits

A Fruits Basket one-shot collection

**Disclaimer:** Fruits Basket and all original characters belong to Takaya Natsuki-sensei.

Confesssion

_By Ongaku no Usagi_

Tohru hummed happily as she slid the last of the cookies from the spatula onto the cooling rack. Taking off her kitchen mitts, she picked up one of the cookies and sunk her teeth into it luxuriously.

Mmmm...

The chocolate melted on her tongue, just the proper amount of sweetness, being made with unsweetened chocolate and cocoa powder.

Double chocolate yum!

"Tadaima," came a voice from behind her, along with the _shoooom_ of the opening and closing of the sliding door.

"Ah! Okaeri, Kyou-kun!" she said, peeping around the kitchen door and smiling widely. "How was your day at the dojo?"

"Fine," he said, the usual monosyllabic answer that Tohru had come to love. Then he stopped still in the act of taking off his shoes and sniffed the air.

"What are you baking?"

"Double chocolate chip cookies," she answered.

He hopped into the kitchen, one shoe still on, still sniffing enthusiastically.

He reached his hand to pick one up, and then hesitated, looking at Tohru. "May I?"

"Dozo! Of course!" she answered happily.

He took a bite and closed his eyes in pleasure. "Mmm..."

"Do you like them?"

"They're great!" he answered. "Not too sweet, still warm, mmm..."

Tohru laughed happily as she clasped her hands together. Finally, she had managed to make a batch of cookies Kyou liked!

Three days later, the cookies have been nearly gobbled up, mostly by the enchanted Kyou.

He comes home that day, smiling, looking forward to one last cookie before the batch is gone.

Then he stops short. Something is definitely wrong.

Tohru is sitting dejectedly by the kotatsu, hanging her head, tears flowing.

He hops next to her, one shoe on again, and puts an arm around her. "Tohru, what's wrong?"

No response, only stormier tears!

He starts to worry. The worst, the worst might have happened! He frantically dashes around in his memory, searching for the cause. Then he gasps. Tohru...she was still in her third month, what if, what if...?

"Tohru," he asks in a hushed tone, "did...did something happen with the baby? Is everything all right."

"No," (sniff), "everything's fine. The baby is fine."

He sighs in relief, laughing a little bit. "Then what, what in the WORLD, Mrs. Sohma, could be the matter?'

She looks up at him, the tears streaming like a waterfall. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! But...but...my cravings got the better of me, and...and..."

"...and?"

"I ate the last cookie, Kyou-kun!"

Stunned silence. Then, "You did WHAT?"

**Author's Note: **This one is comparatively normal...you'll see what I mean later.


	2. Pounce

Pounce

_By Ongaku no Usagi_

The first time it happened, Yuki nearly had a heart attack from the shock.

For Machi, his serious, introverted Machi, could not have just crept up on him, jumped on him shouting "Boo!" and run away and hid around the corner, watching him like a Ninja cat.

But they have been living together for two years now, and he has become used to her morning ritual of waking him up.

She is more effective than Kakeru, and that is an astonishing thing.

But today, the plan backfires as he captures her before she can get away and pulls her back into bed with him.

"Reverse pounce," he whispers to her, and falls back asleep.

**Author's Note: **Short, yes. Slightly OOC, yes. But I like it.


	3. The Doctor Dances

The Doctor Dances

_By Ongaku no Usagi_

"Please, please, pleeeeease?"

Hatori sighed and nodded. Good heavens, who knew that the serious-eyed teacher of his two younger cousins could be so persistent? Not to mention, ever so SLIGHTY immature?

(Yuki and Kyou: We did. Tohru smiles widely, very unaware of what is going on.)

Mayu grinned widely and jumped up, clasping her hands in glee. Hatori barked a laugh, the closest to humor he ever got, and ruffled her short hair. "But just this once," he warned her sternly.

"Hai!" she answered happily and bounced out of the room. A moment later she reappeared, purse in hand. Hatori regarded her narrowly.

"Exactly where do you think you're going?" he asked.

"Shopping, of course! I can't show up to a dance in pants, silly."

They arrived at Shigure's two nights later. Mayu's dress was excessively feminine, all pink lace and floofs, as if to negate what Shigure had described as her "washboard figure".

Hatori thought she looked ridiculous with the "stern doctor" portion of his mind. But the side of his mind which had a fraction of humanity, an appreciation of humor, and abounding adoration for his girlfriend, thought she looked extremely cute.

The doctor side won over for now. "You look ridiculous," he told her, unfeelingly.

Mayu is used to it by now and awards him with a dirty glare, not offended in the slightest.

Instead, she grabs his hand and pulls him into the living room, where other Sohma couples are already swaying to the music.

Playfully, she draws him close to her, resting her chin on his shoulder, arms locked like iron around his neck, in a clear "I am not letting go so put your damn arms around my waist and dance, for God's sake" gesture.

He sighs and complies.

And then finds that he enjoys it.

Half an hour later, elbows and knees are bumping into each other all around the living room, which has been overfilled with happy, laughing couples.

And at the center of it all, Hatori and Mayu are very skillfully swingdancing.

And nobody but Momiji can believe it.

**Author's Note:** Yup, the title is quoted (read: stolen) from Dr. Who.


	4. Black Lace and Pink Bows

Black Lace and Pink Bows

_by Ongaku no Usagi_

Mine sighed contentedly as she pulled the tiny dress over her daughter's head. Behind her, Ayame was beaming like mad.

"Stupendous, Mine. Let us take pictures to commemorate this day."

And so began the set of pictures which years later, Ayano embarrassedly hid whenever friends came over.

The first pose was against a bunch of beautifully, fearfully decorated Western pillows.

"Beautiful! Smashing!" exclaimed Ayame and Mine.

The second was at a table set for tea with flowers and pink painted china.

"Stunning! Delicate!" gasped Ayame and Mine.

The third was on a bed of rose petals.

"Adorable! Gorgeous!" gushed Ayame and Mine.

The fourth was set on a piano bench among other various instruments.

"Refined! Elegant!" sighed Ayame and Mine.

The fifth was set among delicate porcelain dolls.

"KAWAIIIIIIIIIIII!"

The astonished parents turned around to see a hand-clasping, shining-eyed Tohru and the accompanying unimpressed Kyou taking off his shoes at the entrance.

"Kawaii? Kawaii? Hmm..." the parents thought for a minute, and then impulsively placed the decorative baby in a stunned Tohru's arms.

"Now that is kawaii!" laughed Ayame as Mine fluttered around, taking multiple pictures.

Kyou rolled his eyes, but he couldn't disagree.

And when Ayano grew up, her parents tried very, very hard to dress her up in adorable dresses with lace and ribbons and flowers, as befitted their really very attractive daughter. But she stubbornly refused, preferring comfortable leggings and leotards for her various dance activities.

They merely shrugged and began a new line of clothes for dance wear.

**Author's Note: **I don't actually have anything to say about this one. I'm just a little OCD about having all the chapters be uniform, including the author's note, so...


	5. Momiji's Harem

Momiji's Harem

_By Ongaku no Usagi_

Every girl in the anime starts shrieking. Because at last, at last, FINALLY they get the Momiji that all the girls in the manga got.

The grown up version. The tall one with the honey-coloured hair and sweet honey-tasting smile.

(Ouran: Hey! Quit stealing our rabbit-guy's catch-phrase!)

(Furuba: Nyah...*sticks tongue out*)

Haru hears the thundering from far off and gazes cockily at Momiji.

The German-Japanese boy is becoming very pale. Haru doesn't blame him.

Unfeelingly, he clasps Momiji's shoulder with a sadistic smile. "Well, I'm off to a date with Rin," he says and lopes off.

"No, Haru, don't leave meeee...AUGH!" Momiji is knocked off his feet as the flood of girls come running at him in the proverbial cloud of smoke.

He coughs on the proverbial cloud of smoke and tries take a deep breath, which is difficult due to the masses of girls pressing in on him.

Calm down. Yes, calm, caaaalmmmm...okay. What to do, what to do...?

Thinking quickly, he points in the distance and yells, "There's Prince Yuki!"

"Where? Where? Let me see, where is he?" The masses of girls crowd over each other, gaping and gawking and gasping to try and spot the legendary Prince.

Meanwhile, Momiji has conjured a rope from thin air and, lassoing a tree branch, sails, Indiana Jones style, away from the girls and into the tree top, disobeying all apparent laws of gravity.

He sees them turn to follow his flight, and then they conjure up dozens of axes to chop down the tree, as if he is a 'coon from "Where the Red Fern Grows".

He yelps and jumps from treetop to treetop, and then he realizes that he has wings and so he fliiiies away...

Takaya Natsuki suddenly appears from the sky and hits him over the head with a trashcan sized mallet she borrowed from Takahashi Rumiko. Momiji falls and splats on the ground below. Takaya-sensei hands the mallet back to Tendo Akane ("Thanks").

"That is NOT how I wrote the manga!" she yells.

"Ano...Takaya-sensei, this is an extension of the anime," Haru pipes up from around the corner of the frame.

"If that's the case, then your girlfriend doesn't exist," Takaya-sensei says and wipes an enormous eraser over the cell of Rin. "HAHAHAHA!" she cackles maniacally.

But back to our hero.

He has decided to accept the situation and now sits on Arabian-style cushions with dozens of girls clad in belly-dancing outfits around him, fanning him with gigantic palm branches and feeding him cherries.

He sighs. This wasn't the way he wanted the anime to end, but...

In the middle of his musings, he hears a piano. Getting up, he leaves the girls alone, cutting the film behind him so that they scroll off the screen and go round and round in little "clip clip clip" circles of a broken film tape.

He exits the world of color, exits the world of illustration, even, and enters into text.

The girl at the piano looks up. "Ano, do you have any pickles with you?" she asks.

**Author's Note:** Yeah, serious crack. The pickle girl at the end should be obvious if you've read First Chair Violinist. If you haven't...SHAME ON YOU! :P

Takaya-sensei, forgive me for I have sinned (bows head in shame).


	6. The Most Unlikely Couple in the World, 1

The Most Unlikely Couple in the World, part 1

_By Ongaku no Usagi_

Ah, ah, ah, ah.

Kagura looked dejectedly down as she shuffled her feet through the fallen momiji leaves. They crinkled and snapped under her feet. It was a very satisfying sound, she had to admit. But the leaves ended, and she went back to her dejectedly looking down status.

Thus she was unaware of the young orange-haired man hurrying in her direction, also preoccupied.

Collision. Stars. All that, you get the point. Maybe even an accidental kiss, you decide.

Oh, heck with it. The accidental kiss stays.

Kagura felt her mind go numb as her face came into jarring contact with the young man. Her upper lip ground into her teeth violently, and both of them fell to the ground.

"Itai..." she moaned, rubbing her mouth. A hand appeared in front of her, offering a silk handkerchief, embroidered with an elegant "H" on it.

"I'm so sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going. Daijoubu desu ka?"

"Hai," she answered, daubing her bleeding lip with the handkerchief. Then she looked up.

And caught her breath. There, in front of her, was a younger, well-dressed version of her beloved Kyou-kun.

Well, maybe the similarity wasn't that striking, but she was willing to make exceptions for the sake of that very cute orange hair and rugged smile.

Ah, she thought, this time with a little sigh.

"Please let me escort you to wherever you're going," the young man said, getting up and offering his hand.

She hesitated only a little before grasping his hand and letting him haul her to her feet.

"Shit...shitsureishimashita," she said, looking up at him. He smiled and gestured to a waiting car.

No, a waiting limo. A limo! What the heck...?

He smiled at her confused look as a man who could have been a chauffeur (a CHAUFFEUR?) opened the door and waited for her to enter. "Where are you headed?"

"Ano...I guess I was headed back to my apartment..."

Nothing more than a smile as he took her hand and helped her in.

**Author's Notes:** I wonder if you've already figured out who this young man is? I'll give you a hint: this is a cross-over piece.

**Author's Notes 2:** Hi, all ye strange, wonderful people who read my very odd fanfic. I'm going to start updating weekly now, not because I've run out of inspiration, but because if I don't pace myself, I write too much and don't get anything else done! So look for updates every Sunday.

Arigato gozaimasu!


	7. The Most Unlikely Couple in the World, 2

The Most Unlikely Couple in the World, part 2

_by Ongaku no Usagi_

Kagura gave the orange-haired young man the address to her apartment, still stunned enough not to worry about the fact that he COULD be a kidnapper.

When the thought did come to her mind, considerably later, she snorted laughter at herself.

The young man next to her smiled as he slid an arm around the back of the seat she was in, leaning forward to get a good look at her face. "Pardon me, I've completely forgotten to introduce myself. I'm Hikaru. Hitachiin Hikaru."

"I'm...Kagura...Sohma Kagura..."

He bowed with an elegant gesture. "Hajimemashite, Kagura-chan."

She blushed slightly pink at the address. "Hajimemashite, Hikaru-kun."

He smiled at her. "So, I know we look about the same age, but here's a secret: I'm only a first year at Ouran High School."

"Ouran!" Kagura gasped. That high class school...no wonder he was wearing such elegant clothing and riding in a limo.

Hikaru sighed. "Yeah, I have this unending curse. No matter how many years go by, I never get any older." He pouted.

"Oh, well, if I'm going to be a cougar, I may as well go all the way," sighed Kagura.

"Pardon?"

"Nothing."

A little pause. Then, "Do you mind if we stop at my house to pick up my brother first? I'd like him to meet you."

She blushed again. Taking things a little fast, Hikaru-kun? But...she didn't mind. It might be nice to have something to take her mind off Kyou-kun.

"House?" They had stopped in front of tall iron gates, which parted, revealing an ornate mansion. She gasped as she looked up at it.

Hikaru took her hand as the chauffeur opened the door and helped her out. Without releasing her hand, he bent and kissed it. "Just for the record," he said, "I saw you first."

"Hikaru!" A young man came running out of the front door of the...house...and threw himself into Hikaru's arms.

"Kaoru, I'd like you to meet someone," Hikaru said, tugging Kaoru's arms from around his neck. "This...is Sohma Kagura."

Kagura looked from identical eyes, to identical noses, to identical mouths, but the hair was a little different.

"Wait...there are two of you?"

**Author's Notes: ** And they all lived happily ever after. The end. *laughs* No, Hikaru gets her in the end. Kagura-chan really does deserve a romantic, rich sweetie, huh? And Hikaru really does need someone to take his mind off Haruhi, ne? But Kaoru, now we have to come up with someone for him...hmm...

Couldn't help it, had to update in the middle of the week.


	8. A Bite of Bitter Fruit

A Bite of Bitter Fruit

_by Ongaku no Usagi_

Rin sighed a little wearily as she entered the apartment, kicked off her shoes at the entrance, and dropped her purse on the carpet. Then she dragged herself in just so far that she could drop successfully, lengthwise and face-down, on the couch.

Haru, sitting on the chair where he had been reading, asked, "Long day?"

A little grunt, muffled by the cushions her face was crushed against, served as a reply.

Haru was tired, too, but he got up and sat down on the edge of the couch next to her, rubbing her shoulders gently. She moaned a little in pleasure as her tense muscles succumbed to the firm warmth of his palms.

"Anything in particular?" he asked when he had finished.

She lifted her head enough to turn it to face him before letting it fall back on the pillows. "Nope, not really. Just that every teenage girl in high school wants to believe that her life is one huge drama, that she's the unlucky recipient of all the world's woes."

Haru laughed a little, although there was a slight note of irony in that laugh. He knew, better than anyone, that Rin knew drama. If those girls she counciled at the high school had experienced even a quarter of what she had been through, they would already be begging for the mundane life.

"But then..." came Rin's voice, breaking into his thoughts, "then there is the girl—or boy—who really is going through the unimaginable. And trying to convince them that this will all pass...that there is a reason for their pain...is like trying to bandage an amputated limb with a band-aid. You know?"

"Life is hard to swallow sometimes, ne?"

"Yeah..." Sigh.

Silence. After a minute of reflection, Haru got up.

"I'm going to go microwave some leftovers, okay?" He walked towards the kitchen, but was stopped before he could enter by Rin's voice, a little softer, but a little stronger.

"You know what I think, Haru? I think humans have an unhealthy paranoia of pain. They either want to become callous to pain, or remove it altogether. But I think..I think pain is necessary. We need to endure the anguish, to have our senses overwhelmed beyond bearing. If we don't give ourselves the chance to take the risk that the pain might break us completely, or make us stronger, we lack the maturity needed to instruct others on how to deal with it. People need to understand that when the wound bleeds, it means the flesh is alive."

He pauses, looking back at her with a little grin. "Sounds like a recitation."

"Ha, yeah, it kind of is. That's the line I've been practicing for the last half-hour while trying to think of how to deal with one of the girls whose younger brother was recently hit by a car and will never wake from the coma he's in."

He smiled, not at the girl's predicament, but at the amount of intelligence and hard-work that Rin put into her job.

"If there's anyone who could feel their pain and give them the comfort they need, it's you, Rin."

**Author's Note: ** Haru, in my post-curse Furuba world that was expounded more on in "First Chair Violinist", is an elementary-school teacher, although he's been considering changing to junior high in the future. I thought that Rin had the essential skills and experience to become a high-school councilor, not one of those phony ones, but somebody whose tears for another person were real. What do you think?


	9. Learning to Love

Learning to Love

_by Ongaku no Usagi_

Healing a broken heart is a very daunting thing.

An already twisted soul attempting to help heal a broken heart is a very frightening thing indeed.

But somehow, between the sharp words and sometimes physical blows, between the laughter and tears and kisses, Shigure and Akito will overcome.

He will learn to be more forgiving, and she will learn to ask for forgiveness.

He will learn to be less aggravating, and she will learn to be more patient.

That is how they will progress, day by day, where the world opens its arms and embraces them into wonder and awe at how beautiful the simple, steady life can be.

Tohru had begun the process of letting Akito let go of the tightly drawn reins that pulled her small world towards her. Now Shigure is, little by little, leading her by the hand in this world of unknown joys and terrors.

A soul is a crushable thing.

But it is also mendable with time.

**Author's Notes: **Yeah, I know, I know, I could have done more with this one. But the character of Akito has always been really very foreign to me when I'm writing. She's my favorite character to draw, but my least favorite to write.


	10. Not Kids Anymore

Not Kids Anymore

_By Ongaku no Usagi_

Hiro's breath caught as he watched Kisa, and he felt a little groan of longing threaten in his throat.

Kami, who knew that such a tiny little movement could be so enjoyable.

"Kisa," he said, "do that again, please."

The tiger-eyed girl—now seventeen—gave him a startled look with all the wide-eyed innocence of younger years. She frowned slightly as she picked the pen up again with her right hand.

"No, not that," Hiro said, laughing a little at himself. "The thing you did...with your mouth...when you picked up the pen?"

She thought hard to remember exactly what she had done, and somewhere, in the back of her consciousness, she remembered.

She licked her bottom lip again, slowly.

Hiro let that long-suffering groan escape as he leaned forward and smacked his face gently against the surface of the kotatsu they both were sitting at. Kisa gasped and grabbed his head in her hands to prevent him from doing the same thing twice.

He froze, feeling her soft hands on his face. Then, carefully, he took hold of her hands in his and leaned up and towards her.

She drew in her breath as she leaned backwards slightly. "Hiro..."

"Kisa," he breathed, bringing their faces inches apart.

Somewhere in her being an unearthly urge overcame her to jump up and run away from Hiro. Before she was aware of what she was doing, she was already halfway across the room.

"N-no, no, Hiro-kun, we shouldn't..."

His face darkened a little as he hesitantly rose to his feet and walked towards her. She held up her hands over her face and whimpered a little.

A little sigh. "Then, why not, Kisa?"

"Because...because...we're too young."

A somewhat derisive snort, resurrected from the days of old Hiro-kun. Kisa looked up into his eyes, now much higher than hers.

"We're not kids anymore, Kisa."

The words seemed to sink in very, very slowly, like a spoon dropping into jelly. Of course she knew they weren't kids anymore. But somewhere, she had been clinging to a part of the past, the part that loved to cling to Tohru-kun and hear her tell her everything was alright in the world.

But here was Hiro, and she knew, in her heart, that it was time to move beyond childhood.

Slowly, his hand came up to cup her cheek. Slowly, she closed her eyes at the gesture.

And then he leaned in and closed the distance for good.

**Author's Notes: ** Le gasp! The kiss of Hiro and his princess! I thought of actually giving a little more detail on the kiss, but it seemed like the brevity of this story didn't really allow for it. Although it would be interesting to write an entire one-shot just about the duration of a kiss. Hmm...


	11. Sei ein Traum

Sie Ein Traum

_by Ongaku no Usagi_

**Warning: **This one is heavy. Don't say I didn't warn you.

The violin is laid aside, as at dusk Apollo sets down his sun-strung lyre. His answer to the Orbs' choir, that jocound whisper with "melodious noise", Leopold's command replied with youthful vigor.

Pearl-strung tears as from the Phonician sailor's stare—now shut, under the light of gleaming Hesperus and Artemis' cool glare: Orpheus seeking the dream dungeon of Pluto's realm, a wish to be granted by_ l'allegro_ or _il pensieroso_, he knows not yet.

And winging from Erebos, the velvet Oneiroi, pitying, granted the wish ephemerally, until the sun would flame forth "with new-spangled ore", as always, a condition bound to time.

_Es traumte mir, ich sei dir teur;_

Ah, Euridice! Smile of heart's delight, laughter of sunlight. Yes; and yet so innocent, so unsullied, those cherry-sweet lips that whetted more the appetite of Tantalus: as though guarded by jealous Artemis, chaste lips...

The Lepus with his bow makes strong arcs, not for war, but for beauty, upon those strings; and yet the moist sound reflects in the heart of that brown-browed beauty, sitting in a daze with intent gaze and crystal sparkles in those glass-paned openings to the...

"And singing in [his] glory move/ and wipe the tears forever from [her] eyes."

Thus, tenderly, he gently puts away his pine-sided song, and joined her on the love-seat, as lovers ought. This child, once so young, once so naive, now entering the mahogany doors of manhood, and places his hand upon her face, leaning...

Her gaze flies to meet his: a question, and an answer. Those childish days of sunburnt hand-in-hand...but, quoth the Raven...

No words exchanged; none intended nor needed. His Voice has reached her heart, the inner part, like the Hesperian fruit offered by the hand of Paris. Comme a Petrarch apparasait Laura, his eyes wander down to find the bow of her mouth, parting in wonder and...

With full consent, he bows his head, as Aries from Hephaestus Venus stole.

_Doch zu erwachen dedurft ich kaum;_

But robb'd by Mab, and trick'd by Puck, memory shifted and grazed his sight.

And, Akito, who on them looked as the serpent in the garden upon the naked pair; alas, Dido! Only now you realize your pride.

Tears that fell and glimmered, shimmered, caught in the cold night's light, and the Kami's, also: Hesperus, most honoured among the shining night hosts, glinted heavy gleam in those pleading eyes. He understood Tennyson's grim resolution, born of the frigid glaze of the stars.

"Momiji...don't leave...don't...

...go...

don't...leave me behind..."

Oh, Gotterdammerung, Akito, your evening has come! The sun has stretched out all the hills. The punishment of the antiquated Mariner that the Cormorant slew, awaits you, a torment worse than Prometheus'.

Ma quanto a gli occhi giung a trovar loco/Tutte la notti a me suol far piovose.

Blinding tears; and his answer to Bartimus' plea for light: He pistis sou se soche se!

A desire for Akito's freedom; his own was secured in loneliness.

_Denn schon im Traume bereits empfand ich,_

Her questioning eyes follow his, so downcast. "Momiji?"

Though the wetness fell to his cheeks as his eyelids lift, he meets Tohru's...

"How sweet are looks that ladies bend

on whom their favours fall!

...

I never felt the kiss of love,

nor maiden's hand in mine."

So spake the Tell-tale organ in his chest, but...

Like Dian's kiss, unasked, unsought,

Love gives itself, but is not bought.

Lips, willing, soft, and warm, Endymion in bliss with his Diana, yet "he had no joy of her, for ere that Artemis slew her in seagirt Dia because of the witness of Dionysus"...

And like Cupid's sleep aroused by Psyche's hot wax, and like Orpheus' desire slips from him also, by eager glances back, down that dark tunnel where all sleep soundly,

Frisch weft der Wind

Der Heimat zu

Hector's victory, so short lived, as Adam from Eden barred by flame-eyed Cherubim: the dream has ended, little Lepus. Amateseru is now adamant; having once left her cave, she is reluctant to return.

_Es sei ein Traum, es sei ein Traum,_

Hesperus will burn out; that star-named ship, with the doomed daughter "on the billows fall and rise", the ship of dreams by day, now will drop into the Western bay.

Ich finde, ich finde sie nimmer, und nimmermehr.

The glass panes you will look through now with furrowed brow will indeed show you your heart's desire, yet,

As Tristan's Isolde did revere,

And Lancelot his Guinevere,

So wanted he her for his own;

But destined to be Kyou's Bedivere.

_Ach, im Traum bereits empfand ich,_

The Great Buddha of Kamakura may tranquilly hide in peace, but not for you; you will weep, you will mourn, and at the end of it, in gut-wrenching agony tear, arm embracing naught but air, you will face him, and tell him of the hope.

Although the curse is removed, you still can't have the one you love.

_Sei ein Traum, _

_es sei ein Traum._

**Author's Notes: **And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what you get if you read too much Milton in one day.

The poem in italics is the third of a set by Brahms called "Songs to texts by Daumer, op. 57"

Translation:

"I dreamt I was dear to you; but I scarcely need to awaken, for while still dreaming I already felt that it was a dream, it was a dream, alas, while still dreaming I already felt that it was a dream, it was a dream."

The quotes and references to John Milton are too numerous to annotate, so I will mention the poems:

-On a Solemn Musick

-Lycidas

-L' Allegro and Il Pensieroso

-Paradise Lost

Also, the Italian poem is his, translated:

"But that part of it that reaches my eyes makes all night tearful for me alone."

"Ich finde..." etc. Is from Schubert's "Gretchen am Spinnrabe" and is translated, "I will find it never and never more."

"Comme a Petrarch..." is from Liszt's "O Quand Je Dors" and is translated, "So Petrarch approached Laura".

The Phonician sailor is an allusion to T.S. Ellliot's "Wasteland", also the German poem:

"Fresh blows the wind from my homeland"

Obvious allusion to Edgar Allan Poe.

Allusion to "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" by Coleridge.

Bedivere is the last knight of King Arthur, from "Morte d'Arthur" by Tennyson. Also, the "How sweet are looks" poem is his.

The Endymion/Diana poem, Bartimus and the allusion to the coldness of stars is Longfellow, also the poem about the Hesperus shipwreck.

While I'm on the topic of Hesperus:

-Hesperus is another name for the planet Venus

-It is also the name of the garden where the golden apples of Greek myth were located

-Which were given by Paris to Venus (see the wraparound?) in exchange for Helen

-and is alluded to frequently in Milton's Paradise Lost.

Gotterdammerung is the name of a part of the Ring Cycle by Richard Wagner and means "Twilight of the Gods" and has to do with death and destruction of the gods, primarily.

Also, Triste und Isolde also is Wagner's.

I shouldn't have to explain Lancelot and Guinevere. That little poem, by the way, is MINE. Mine, I say! Please ask if you want to quote it.

I apologize for the long notes! (and I haven't even explained the Greek gods and goddesses references, look them up if you don't know them, they're quite interesting.) Like I said, this is what happens when you read Milton before writing a story. It's a little like the Labyrinth of Minos, huh? (oh dear, there I go again).

Lepus is Latin for rabbit. Amateseru is the Japanese goddess of the sun.

Well, congrats if you got through it! You are deserving of my praise (bows in hommage).


	12. A Disastrous First Date

A Disastrous First Date

_by Ongaku no Usagi_

His fingers didn't want to cooperate, darn them. They shook, jittered, skittered, and every other thing they could possibly do to keep from actually pushing the buttons into the button holes.

Ritsu Sohma sighed in exasperation. Of course he wasn't going to show up to his first date with Mitsuru-san in a kimono, but...drat it all, he was just very very nervous, and as a result he couldn't button up his collared shirt!

He finally gave up as his cell phone rang. It was fortunate that he even managed to pick it up with his shaking hands.

Voice reflected hands. "Mo...moshi...moshi?"

"Ritsu-san? It's me, Mitsuru. I was wondering...is it possible that we could postpone our date just by half an hour? I have...some issues...with a certain author who won't turn in deadlines..."

Ritsu sighed inside. Shigure-nii-san...he would have words with his older cousin later. Darn him, taking up his precious time with Mitsuru.

Outside, he said, "Hai, ii desu, Mitsuru-san. I'll come by in half an hour, then?"

"Hai. Ja matta nee."

As he hung up, Ritsu thought, Ah, well, at least I have a little while longer to master these buttons.

Half an hour later, he found himself waiting outside Mitsuru's apartment.

Now it was his knees. They knocked, they bonked together; in short, they did everything short of actually hold him up. He leaned against the wall for support.

Ten minutes passed...fifteen. Finally, twenty minutes later, he heard frantic huffing behind him and turned around.

Mitsuru, still dressed in her blue suit, came running up the stairs, face red and sweaty.

Ritsu still thought she looked adorable.

"Gomen!" she panted. "That...damn...author...caught him...at last..."

Ritsu politely stood aside so she could unlock her door and slip inside. "Ano...would you like to come in for a minute? That is...I still need to get ready...gomen nasai..."

"Iie," said Ritsu, walking inside and sitting on the low chair she directed him to. Personally, he thought she looked fine the way she was, but he was not one to judge another for finding confidence in dressing up.

Another twenty minutes passed; at last, Mitsuru emerged, dressed in a turtleneck, shortsleeved dress of jade green. "Does it...does it look alright?" she asked flusteredly, smoothing down an imaginary wrinkle in her dress and pretending not to be keenly interested in Ritsu's reaction.

Which was, honestly, astonishment and admiration.

When his tongue had finally managed to wrench itself out of his excessively dry throat, Ritsu whispered, "You...you look..."

"Terrible! Augh! I forgot to put on makeup!" And off she dashed again.

Twenty minutes later, the patient Ritsu still waiting on the chair, Mitsuru finally emerged again. "All right...so...where are we going tonight?"

Ritsu opened the door for her, a small hint that they needed to get going. "I reserved a table at _La Rochelle_," he answered.

Mitsuru squealed. Actually squealed. _La Rochelle_! She had suspected that the Sohma family, including Ritsu, were rich but..._La Rochelle_?

"As in...Hiroyuki Sakai's _La Rochelle?_ THAT_ La Rochelle_?"

Ritsu smiled to himself. Always make a good impression on a first date, Hatori nii-san had told him. Looks like his choice of dining place was definitely hitting on the mark.

Twenty minutes later, woefully informed by the maitre' d that due to their excessive lateness, they had had to give up the table.

Ritsu felt his heart sink. "Are there any tables available now?"

"I'm afraid not, Sohma-san. After all, there is generally at least a two-week reservation list."

"So that's out," Ritsu said to Mitsuru as they dejectedly walked back to the car. Mitsuru sighed heavily.

"Ah, well, I knew it was too good of a dream to come true," she said. Then she brightened. "Demo...we can still find another restaurant, right?"

Half an hour later, and every "upper class" restaurant has, for some odd reason, on this very day been completely maxed out. Both were very hungry by now, and willing to go for any restaurant, any at all.

They finally settled for a lower-class ramen shop, more from pure desperation than anything else.

The noodles were soggy. The broth was weak. And just before they were about to leave, rather disgruntledly, an overworked waitress spilled an entire tray of glasses containing sake on Mitsuru.

"Oh no!" she cried, frantically patting her dress with paper napkins. "This is my favorite!"

Ritsu, also, grabbed a handful of napkins and began daubing. "Are you all right?" he asked, looking up concernedly at her face while patting what he assumed was her shoulder with the napkins. Then he wondered about the quizzical look that began to spread over Mitsuru's features.

"Ano... Ritsu-san...you..."

He looked down at where he was daubing. Blushed. Heavily. Pulled away, flung away the paper napkins and, in grand Rit-chan style, began apologizing to the world.

"I'm sorry! I'm such a terrible young man, not looking where I'm touching you, you must think I'm the biggest pervert in world...now no man will ever want to marry you because I touched you inappropriately...it's young men like me who embarrass women everywhere...I shouldn't exist...I should go make a woeful end of my woeful existence...I'm SORRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!"

Mitsuru was as yet unintroduced to this side of the meek Ritsu and grabbed his wildly flinging hands in an attempt to stem the flow of hysteria that was outpouring from him. Unfortunately, he took this as a sign that she hated him so much that she wanted to turn him into the cops.

"WAAAAHHHH!"

"Ritsu-san, will you please calm down, everyone in the restaurant is looking..."

"WAAAAHHHH!"

"Ritsu-san...please stop...please...let's just go somewhere else, okay?"

Her words finally got to him, and he calmed down somewhat.

He sniffed. "You're sure you're okay?"

She nodded.

He brightened up a little more. "Well, why don't we go to the department store just down the street and buy you a new dress?"

"What? I can't go anywhere like this!"

"I'll buy one for you! You can wait in the car, okay?"

Thus it was that the Mitsuru found herself patiently waiting in the car while Ritsu walked...no, skipped, seriously? No, really, he's skipping...off to the department store.

As for Ritsu, he was all too happy to try on several dresses, trying to find the perfect one for Mitsuru. The feeling of silks and cottons...ahhhh...much better, he felt so much better.

Half an hour later, Mitsuru forced herself to walk out of the car and into the department store.

It was definitely a classy place, with marble floors and muted yellow lights, lush greenery here and there, a lovely young woman modeling for the saleslady...

Young woman? No, no. She closed her eyes, shook her head, blinking, then looked back up. No, that was definitely Ritsu. Showing off a floor-length, lilac ball gown to the saleslady.

"Ah, you have such a splendid figure for this dress!" she gushed, turning him around and examining the lace-up back. "Slender, yet strong...ohh, yes, yes, beautiful."

A small ahem brought their attention to the short-haired young lady in a dress stained with dried sake, standing there, arms on hips, tapping her toes.

"Ritsu, WHAT exactly are you doing?"

He blushed, turned away, peeking at her from the corner of his eyes. "Gomen nasai, Mitsuru-san," he mumbled."I was looking for a dress for you and got carried away..."

She marched over to him, placed her hands on his back and pushed him towards the changing room. "Change back, right now, and I'll buy a dress for myself."

He cringed at the tone of voice, but did as she said. Yet, he poked his head back around the stall and said, "Mitsuru...incidentally, I would recommend this one..."

She took it from him with a sense of startled surprise, and, retreating to the woman's side, slipped into it.

It was ruby-red, no, more of the color of the inside of a very, very ripe grapefruit; crystals crusted the low-cut scoopneck and dotted the bottom of the full, ankle-length hem. The silk material had been woven into an intricate texture, invisible to the eye, but evident in the cut and hang of the garment.

She knew instantly that this was an expensive dress. No way she would be able to afford it.

However, she had not counted on the depth of Ritsu's wallet, not to mention his determination.

"I'm paying for it now," he told her when she emerged, still clad in the dress. She waved her hands. "No, no, I couldn't possibly ask you to..."

"But...what would you wear to go with these?" he asked, poutingly, handing her a small jewelry box.

She gasped when she opened it. "No, no...absolutely not..."

"Too late. Already paid. No returns." He removed one of the ruby teardrop earrings and held it up to her face. "It's perfect," he purred, a little gleam of love-of-the-well-dressed entering into his eyes in a very Ayame sort of way.

It was fortunate her ears were already pierced, therefore. And Mitsuru really had no choice but to accept Ritsu's gifts and head back to the car.

At this point, disaster reintervened.

"Argh!" Ritsu clutched his long hair in exasperation. "No! This is terrible! How could I let this happen! I'm such a terrible person...I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY, NOW YOU'LL HAVE TO WALK FOR MILES IN THAT NICE NEW DRESS..."

"No, calm down, Ritsu-san, it's okay, we'll just call for help," Mitsuru said, eying the flat tire.

"It's impossible! We won't be able to get a hold of anyone, and we'll have to walk all the way to the train station, which is two miles away...GOMEN NASAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!" In his frantic ravings, he stepped backwards into the street.

"Augh! Watch out, Ritsu-san!" Mitsuru grabbed his arm and pulled him back just as a car, horn blazing, sped by.

In her haste, she pulled him straight into her arms.

Ritus was in blissful heaven for the split instant before he transformed.

POOF! And Mitsuru looked down, in lawful confusion, at the adorable little monkey that had just appeared in her arms.

"AUGH!" She swiftly dropped him, but he swung onto the back of the car to break his fall. "Mitsuru-san..." he began, but at this she did the only reasonable thing left to do and fainted onto the sidewalk.

Although Ritsu had been glad at first that no one had been walking in close proximity to them when he had transformed, he now felt frantic, for there was no one nearby to help! And here he was, in his monkey form, not even able to lift her, not willing to leave her to get help, unable to call...

Mitsuru woke half an hour later, back in her apartment, lying on her bed. For a moment, she wondered dazedly if she had fallen asleep before her date with Ritsu-san. She'd had a terrible dream that they'd been on a horrible date and he'd turned into a monkey. A monkey! No, that sort of thing was only what happened in manga. It didn't really happen in real life.

But if it was all a dream, why was she in a gorgeous red silk dress? And why could she hear running water in the kitchen.

She sat up, rubbing her temples, wincing as the fingertips of her right hand came into contact with a swelling bruise. At that moment, Ritsu appeared in the doorway, carrying a tray of tea.

"Ah, you're awake," he said. "I'm so sorry; I had to flag down a taxi and have them drive you all the way back here." He neglected to give her the details; that after flailing around for a few minutes, he'd reverted back to a human, causing a middle-aged woman passing by to scream at his sudden naked form, quickly dressed, picked up the unconscious Mitsuru veeeeery carefully and dashed off with her to find a taxi.

"What...what happened?" she asked, trying to fill in the fuzzy details of their disastrous evening together.

He laughed softly. "Well, after we came out of the department store, a drunk ran into you on the sidewalk, and you fell and hit your head on the curb. Are you sure you don't remember?'

"I remember...something about a monkey?"

"You must have dreamed it while you were unconscious," he said, hastily, and held the cup of tea up to her lips. "Here, have a sip."

"Careful!" she hissed as his shaking hand dripped some tea on the pillow beside her.

She reached up to steady the cup of tea with her hand and drank the warm liquid thankfully. He blushed as her hand closed over hers.

When she was finished, she said, "Arigato...Rit-chan."

He leaned forward so they were eye to eye and took her hands in his. "You're welcome, Mit-chan."

The next day found the two of them blushing and laughing as they visited Shigure's house together. Mitsuru still needed to clean up some ends about the novel she had literally pursued Shigure for yesterday (no pun intended), and Ritsu wanted to give him a piece of his mind for making her late the night before and thus launching their disastrous adventure.

They had not been there very long before Kyou entered the room. Was launched, actually; straight through the paper walls.

Shigure sighed. "Yuki, next time will you please try not to kick him into my house?"

Said blue-haired young man entered as he spoke, dusting his hands nonchalantly. "If he'd just blocked the strike, he wouldn't have flown so far."

Meanwhile, Ritsu was kneeling beside the groaning Kyou. "Kyou! Are you dead! Oh no, I should have caught you so you wouldn't have landed so hard...now it's my fault that Tohru-chan won't have the man of her dreams...I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I apologize to the world!"

As he carried on, Mitsuru whispered to Shigure, "Ano...does this happen every time something bad happens?"

Shigure winked at her. "Did it happen on your date last night?" He noted her nod with satisfaction. "Watch and learn, Mit-chan."

Executed with graceful brilliance, the jab under the armpit resulted in a wilting wisp of a Ritsu. Looking down, Mitsuru said, "Ah."

Then she turned to Shigure. "For once, Sensei, thank you."

**Author's Notes: ** I was always a little disappointed we didn't get any more of the Rit-chan-Mit-chan romance in the manga. Therefore, I took it upon myself to extrapolate a little of what went on. I hope you enjoyed!

Translations: (for those of you who don't like "romanji")

Moshi moshi: hello (on the telephone)

Hai: yes

Ii desu: that's fine/good

Ja matta nee: see you later

Gomen: sorry

Gomen nasai: really sorry!

Ano: um...

Iie: no

Demo: but

Arigato: thanks


	13. Electromagnetic I Love You

Electromagnetic "I Love You"

_By Ongaku no Usagi_

Kyou has wondered for a little while now what Shishou thinks about Hanajima's electromagnetic waves.

I mean, honestly, that sort of thing has to be a little hard to get used to, right? What do you do, wake up in the morning next to the person you love, comb the static out of your hair and go to work?

And so it continued to puzzle him. Until the day came when he realized that Shishou, in reality, had absolutely no idea, not a clue, about Hanajima's abilities.

The epiphany happened while he and Tohru were having tea with Shishou. Well, to be more accurate, Tohru was happily helping (read: actually doing the work) Hana-chan make tea while Shishou and himself were sitting together, discussing the dojo and what Kyou needed to do to further continue his studies.

"As I was saying," Kazuma continued, "you should really focus on studying your opponent's movements more. In fact, what you really need to do is to control your emotions so that you can sense his. When you do that, you will be able to counter his attacks easily, as though you can predict his next movement. Of course, this comes with a lot more training, so you'll have to work hard."

"Yeah, work harder," mumbled Kyou as the two girls entered, carrying (read: Tohru carrying) the tea on a tray. They (read: Tohru) set the tea in front and settled down next to their respective men. "Not all of us are born being able to read people's minds, huh, Hanajima?" He glared at the girl in black.

She gave him a feigned astonished look. "Well, it's not like anyone has that sort of power," she said demurely.

"Yeah, Kyou, what ever made you think some people can do that naturally?" Shishou said with a puzzled look.

Kyou's mouth dropped open slightly, so that Tohru had to actually push it up with her hand. She smiled at him, obviously not being clued in the slightest to what had just transpired.

After the two of them left the dojo, Kazuma turned Saki.

"I love you, too," he said.

Being unaware that she had not uttered a single word.

**Author's Notes: **Well, you wondered how Kazuma-san reacted too, right?


	14. Why Confused

Why Confused?

_By Ongaku no Usagi_

Droplets of sweat cling to the sheets, simultaneously cooling and steaming the hot room up like a sauna.

Tangled wrinkles of linen conform to the curves of their bodies, gentle music humming through the window from the ocean outside. The smell of blossoms is in the air.

It is the third day of the honeymoon, and Kureno and Arisa have barely made it out of the bedroom since they arrived.

After a minute, she sighs and rolls over, the sticky sheets clinging to her back as she lies on her stomach next to him.

Kureno strokes those slender, strong lines that make up her shoulderblades. She closes her eyes with pleasure, moaning a little, ever so softly.

After a minute, he leans down and whispers into the back of her ear, "I love you."

She makes little grunting sounds as she turns her head to face him. "You've been saying that for some time now, and I still don't get it."

"Eh?"

She sighs once more, deep breath rolling from her back to her throat, hissing like pressurized air escaping from a small opening. "I'm confused."

"Why confused?"

She casts a demure glance at him. The kind of glance that only Kureno can draw out of her. "Why do you love me?"

"I love you because..."

"I mean," she proceeds relentlessly, recklessly, "I'm not the sort of girl a man falls in love with. I'm too tall, I'm too unfeminine, I'm too competitive, I've heard it all, mostly from Orange-Top..."

He laughs a little, thinking of his cousin. Then he places his hands on her back and rolls her over to look at him.

He leans down and kisses her, oh! So softly, so gently, so...Kurenoly. Her eyes flutter closed at the gesture. When they open, he is poised over her, smiling.

"I love you because you are imperfect," he says. She wrinkles her brow slightly. What kind of compliment is that?

He begins trailing kisses, starting at her forehead and working his way down.

"I love you because you are impulsive" (kiss) "and stubborn" (kiss) "and foolishly forgive whoever asks" (kiss).

"Because you see your own faults" (kiss) "because you accept that you're imperfect" (kiss) "because you allow yourself to change, instead of clinging to your past mistakes" (kiss).

He has reached her collarbone, and she sighs, this time with absolute pleasure, enjoying each word that drips from his mouth like honeycomb, every time his skin caresses hers.

She still doesn't understand. But maybe that's what keeps love alive.

**Authors Notes: **Okay, guys, normally I don't do this, because I hate whiny authors of mediocre stories who say, "I ain't publishing anymore until you review!" =P And I will continue to update. But, c'mon. Almost 1000 hits, and only 11 reviews? That's taking it a little too far, don't you think? Please review? Hate, love, whatever. I know this story isn't the best, but it's not the worst either. Arigato!


	15. Love at First Sight

Love at First Sight

_by Ongaku no Usagi_

Chika was a little nervous.

Not a huge pile of nervous. Just a wee bit. Actually, for all she tried, her six-year-old mind couldn't come up with a rational reason for her nervousness. Not that the word "rational" was part of her vocabulary yet.

Today, along with moving back to the mainland Honshu, she was about to meet her cousin, Daisuke.

Well, cousin, really, something like third-cousin-a-bajillion-times-removed. But they still shared the same last name.

She knew very little about him, except that he was about two months older than her and was the son of her oji-chan Kyou and oba-chan Tohru. She had met them, once, a year ago when they had visited Yuki and Machi in Hokkaido, where Yuki was continuing his studies in horticulture, but Daisuke hadn't come with them that time, staying behind with Kyou's "father". Kyou and Yuki mostly ignored each other or passed around slight sarcasm, but there was a little kinship there that, though Chika did not know it, was nevertheless present.

Oba-chan was always smiling, always helpful. She liked Oba-chan a lot.

And here they were, now, in the large ima main room of Oji-chan and Oba-chan. They and her parents were exchanging hugs and handshakes while Chika stood boldly beside them and took in the room.

It was very different from her house, that was for sure. Much more traditional, unlike the Western furniture and decorations her parents used; much more open, with soft breezes touching the tatami mats and ringing a chime outside. And much more clean!

After a few minutes, in which Oba-chan leaned down and gave the little girl a hug and asked her how she was with the same sweetness and seriousness she asked the adults, Oji-chan frowned slightly and called out, "Daisuke! Come down and meet your cousin!"

Chika looked up to see where he was directing his voice and saw, hiding slightly behind the banister of the staircase, a shock of orange hair which quickly disappeared around the corner upon his father's announcement.

"Daisuke," said Oba-chan, more gently but still firmly, "please come down."

A little childish sigh, and then Daisuke emerged, coming halfway down the stairs. There, he halted, and viewed Chika with narrowed eyes.

She gave a little wavery smile and bowed a little, like Okaa-san had showed her.

"You have blue hair."

She gasped and looked back up at him. Then her temper got the better of her.

"Yeah, well it's not as weird as orange hair!"

"Nnnnn!" He stuck his tongue out at her.

"Nnnnn!" She reciprocated his action.

Then he dashed away up the stairs, and she dashed off into the kitchen.

Their parents stood looking at each other after the exchange, slightly stunned. Then Yuki forced a laugh.

"Well, that went well," he said.

**Author's Notes: **Yay! The meeting of Daisuke and Chika! I thought awhile about this one before I wrote it, and this is what came up. I like to think of Chika as an instigator of mischief when she's younger, but I guess Daisuke's the one at fault here?


	16. Ramen

Ramen

_by Ongaku no Usagi_

For the record, Yuki's the one who started the fire.

True, I'm the one who let the tea kettle boil away until the water all evaporated and it melted into a sad little lump of metal that pitifully clung to the burner afterward; and I'm the one who left the metal pick in the tomato soup that we microwaved (and were later alerted to by a BANG and lots of red muck everywhere); and yes, I am the one who left the bottle of root beer in the freezer so that it exploded and froze brown liquid over bags of peas and corn and a carton of ice cream.

But I maintain that Yuki is the one who started the fire.

It started out innocently enough. I was just visiting his college apartment for a quick smooch and movie (meaning anime), and, somewhere between the couch cuddles and Inu-Yasha slicing open yet another demon, a peculiar thing happened. Well, two peculiar things.

One: our stomachs growled simultaneously.

It was at this moment that Yuki turned to me, one arm still draped around the back of the couch where I was sitting, and suggested,

Two: "Want to try making dinner?"

I should have known from that little word, "try", that such an attempt had never been made in the life of Sohma Yuki. (Author's note: What Machi doesn't know is that he had indeed attempted in the past, but that it had resulted in the not-so-savory combination of curry and pickles). And I, of course, had been used to take-out from the moment I was moved out of my parents' house.

Therefore: there should have been warning lights. And little bells and whistles. But none of the above happened by sovereign intervention of the kami, and thus...

He began by wrapping a fish in newspaper. Where he got the fish, I had no idea at the time. I have since learned that occasionally he procures random food items from the market, brings them home, and lets them rot in his refrigerator. That thing is a hazard. I ought to take it away from him.

But fish in newspaper. "For steaming," he explained to me, placing it on a steamer, and that in a pot with a little water.

"And now we wait," he said, turning to me with a smile. "Any idea what we should do while we're waiting?" He approached, slowly, step by step, took my chin in his hand, face inches apart, breath fanning in warm zephyrs across my face and...

(edited gushy bit)

After ten minutes (yes, you can make out for ten minutes straight), he came up, wiping his lips and frowning slightly as he inclined his ear.

"I don't hear any water boiling. You need boiling water to steam fish, right?"

"Ano..." Really, he was asking me? Me of all people?

He approached the stove, warily, as though a kitsune might pop out of an unsuspecting pot (named Shippou). He lifted the lid, gingerly felt the water. "It's not even hot," he said, grimly.

Okay, so I may not be a cook, but I know this much. "Did you even turn it on?" I asked.

"Ah, no, I forgot," he said with a little look of embarrassment and astonishment. "Hmm...now that I think of it, some sake might make the fish taste good..."

I don't know if it was really necessary to add to the water with two cups of sake, but...

"And now we wait," he said again, approaching with a little sneaky grin. Just as he wrapped one arm around my shoulders, I said, "You forgot to turn it on again."

"Ah...sou da nee..." he said, turning back around and switching on the stove. Then he frowned. Turned it down from high to simmer, back up again, off, on to high again. After a minute he sighed.

"This is supposed to be a gas stove right?"

"How should I know?" I grumbled, coming over for a look. "Hey, look, just before 'high', it says 'ignite'."

"Ah, right, so I should leave it on 'ignite' until it lights, right?" he said with a grin and a wink in my direction, as he turned the knob onto "ignite".

A second later, we both leaped back as the spark caught the large quantity of escaped gas and blew out a ring of fire four inches wide, like the rings of Saturn.

"What the..." gasped Yuki. Ah, but it had just started.

The flame from the ring crept somehow into the pot. A second later, I felt myself shoved to the ground as Yuki threw me down, covering me with his body. The sake went up into high flame.

We both looked back as, through the high-jumping flames, the newspaper-wrapped fish in the bamboo steamer caught fire gloriously.

The smoke detector decided to grace us with its high-pitched presence.

"Water!" gasped Yuki, picking himself up and dashing over to the sink, where he filled a frying pan with water. Needless to say, the water he flung dissipated into ineffective spray as he threw it.

Meanwhile, the corners of the calender hanging next to the stove caught fire.

"Augh!" This time, I grabbed the closest vase (containing a flower arrangement), dumped its innocent contents onto the floor, and threw the water at the calender, which went out in hissing steam. Before I could refill it, the contents of the pot itself fizzled out and lay in pitiful charred bits on the stove.

We both stood there stunned and covered in sweat and steam and soot, as the smoke alarm continued its nagging voice and charred newspaper bits floated lazily around in the air around the blackened area of the stove.

Yuki pursed his lips, turned off the stove, and said, determinedly, "On second thought, ramen sounds good."

**Author's Notes: **Okay, this is purely imaginative, I've never tried to light a kitchen on fire, but I imagine this is how one would go about doing it.

Translations:

Ano: umm...

Kitsune: a little foxy demonish critter from Japanese folklore and one of the main characters from Takahashi Rumiko's "Inu Yasha"

Sou da nee: Ah, that's right?


	17. When did I love you?

When Did I Love You?

_By Ongaku no Usagi_

Kyou...

My favorite person in the world. Why didn't I realize...? What you mean to me...there's no way to explain this feeling.

But...

Ah, but, but, Kyou-kun, you can't leave me, no, because that...

Would be too sad.

Kono kimochi...

...

When did I love you? When did all these feelings coalesce into a feeling as strong as love? That day, when I ran after you, I already loved you so much; the feeling that you might disappear for ever, as easily as a bubble popping at the end of a circled stick, that made me run after you, despite the fear, despite the vomit and mud, despite every nerve in my body that was crying out, "No! Tohru!"

And you, in that form, can it really be that Kyou-kun has a form so far removed from his kind, shy soul? Iie, the cat suits you better, as much as you hate it. A cat can curl up; can enjoy another's personality and warmth. A cat can smile, can frown, can purr. You, the cat, the soft, orange-furred kitty that curls up in my lap.

But, despite how I enjoy you, even in that form, in reality I want...to hold you, to feel your firm form beneath my hands, to feel your strong arms close around me and end all uncertainty.

Ah, I thought, I thought that I could be the one to bring you that peace. I was determined, I was! But...that was me being prideful. Yes; because I, being weak, could not hope to do that much for you.

But spring is approaching with the suddenness of the first snowfall. That moment...when Akito will take you away from me, lock you up where the world will be forever ignorant of your smile...how can I bear it?

How can I bear seeing you smile now, knowing that I may never see it again?

Kyou-kun, my favorite person. Don't go. Please don't go. Don't leave my heart here, to break and fall into the ground, a seed that will never blossom.

Because I love you.

**Author's Notes: **Yay, sappiness. But, in my x-th reading through Fruits Basket, I came across chapter 107 today, and it seemed like Takaya-sensei drew so much unuttered emotion into that chapter, and I wanted to express it, however imperfectly.

Ah, and "Kono kimochi" means "this feeling"


	18. Hockey

Hockey

_by Ongaku no Usagi_

Honda-san has some strange ideas of fun sometimes.

First it was Dai Hin Min. Which isn't a bad game, no, certainly not, but she could get a little...obsessive...about it. Then there was meeting Haru and Momiji on their first day of school. "It could be fun!" she said. Searching for stag beetles...playing with fireworks...Honda-san seems to be oddly amused by strangely simple concepts.

Which explains why here we are, after school, on a little patch of ice about ten feet by twenty feet that she discovered in the woods behind Shigure's house. She'd neglected skates, but brought along her two friends, and Haru and Momiji, of course. And that stupid Cat.

"Whee!" she exclaimed as she took a running start and glided on the ice in just her boots.

"Sugoi," commented Haru, "look at her, she has really good balance."

"Hmm, you're right," Hanajima-san said in an equally passive voice, "but it doesn't look like she'll be able to stop..."

"WAHH!" As if on cue, Honda-san, having run out of ice, plunged face-first to the ground on the far end.

Or so we all thought. Just in the nick of time, Kyou rushed over and broke her fall. He thought he was helping, oh, no, he was just creating problems.

"Hanajima-san, Uotani-san," came the childish voice of Momiji, "look over there, you see those icicles on that tree? Aren't they pretty?"

Both whipped their heads around to look where Momiji pointed, exactly in the opposite direction of where Kyou was promptly disappearing under Honda-san in a burst of orange smoke. Frantically, Honda-san tied his clothes around his neck, and he scampered under a tall hedge of evergreen shrubbery.

"Yes, you're right, Momiji-kun," Hanajima-san said. "They're very pretty."

"Hmm...true, but...where did Kyon get to?" asked Uotani-san, turning around.

"Ano...he said he needed to grab something back at the house," I offered, hoping they'd buy it.

They did, thankfully.

Meanwhile, I and Momiji both hurried over to help Honda-san up. He got there first and stuck out his tongue at me.

"Honda-san, daijoubu desu ka?" I asked worriedly, grabbing the hand that Momiji hadn't already laid claim to and hauling her up to her feet.

"Mmm...I'm fine, arigato, Yuki-kun," she said, rubbing her head a little. "Oh...Haru-kun, you're amazing!"

We looked behind us to see Haru gliding on the ice on one foot. Then he glided back on the other.

Kyou took this time to reappear. I took the opportunity to send him flying into the air with a well-placed front kick, annoyed at his impetuous actions which could have been disastrous.

"Augh!" He splatted against a tree trunk and groaned. "Ow...Damn rat!"

Then he came flying at me with a rather wide-open punch. I blocked it easily and threw an uppercut at him. He dodged it and kicked at me with a round house. I leaped backwards to avoid it.

On the sidelines, I noticed the typical hands-clasping worried-looking Honda-san, the unperturbed Haru, and Momiji conjuring up movie popcorn out of nowhere to share with Uotani-san and Hanajima-san. Apparently they'd settled in for the show.

"Really, all that training and your skills don't get any better?" I said with a little sigh and shaking of head.

He got pissed at this. Really pissed.

With an effective kick, he brought down a slender limb from a nearby tree and held it like a katana, ready to come spear me or something.

I stepped backwards and easily broke off another branch from a tree behind me. "Come get me, Cat."

We rushed towards each other, branches brandished. Neither of us noticed when we came together over the patch of ice.

Momiji did, though.

"Ah, a hockey game!" he declared, and picking up a smooth, flat rock he'd found nearby, tossed it towards us.

Kyou's eyes narrowed at me as said rock skittered across the ice and stopped innocently about a foot away. "No way I'll get beaten by you, damn Rat!"

"Fine," I gritted out, "but I get Haru on my team."

Half an hour later Shigure decided to grace us with our presence. By now, the seven of us were engaged in vigorous slipping, sliding, and otherwise hot-sweaty mostly unsuccessful attempts to get to the "puck" with our makeshift sticks. "Oh, a hockey game! How fun," he said gleefully. "Tohru-kun, you really should try to hold the stick by the other end. And can anyone explain why Hanajima-san hasn't even broken a sweat yet?"

Then he sat down and finished Momiji's popcorn.

My team won in the end, as expected.

**Author's Notes: ** This is set just before the winter break of their (Tohru, Yuki, Kyou)'s second year of high school, around New Year's. I got the idea from the Stanley Cup (of course) and the age-old joke: "I went to a fight and a hockey game broke out".

Translations:

Sugoi: amazing

Ano...: um...

Daijoubu desu ka: are you all right?

Arigato: thank you


	19. Bachelorette Party

Bachelorette Party

_by Ongaku no Usagi_

**Rated M just in case**

Much to their disappointment, the three of them never did have a chance to revisit Kyoto "just the three of them". All three had found men in their lives by now; Saki was already married to Kazuma, Tohru was living a good distance away with Kyou where she wasn't able to see the others as often as any of them wanted, and now Arisa was getting married next week.

Things would never be the same. But just for tonight, the three of them wanted to be together, one last time.

Bubbly drinks. Vases of multicolored roses. Piles of hot food. Ice cream and chocolate.

In other words, a bachelorette party.

For Tohru's benefit, Saki had not gone overboard on the decorations. It is highly likely that, had it just been her and Arisa, she would have gone so far as to post up full-size pictures of rippled, glistening, mostly naked men and brought male blow-up dolls and miscellaneous female "pleasure" toys. However, she did make sure that the drinks were alcoholic.

Thus, having banished Kazuma from the house for the evening, the three of them proceeded to laugh as much and as riotously as they wanted, to make whatever jokes at the expense of mankind they desired, and eat as much chocolate as they could handle.

It was after the drinks when strange questions began to pop up.

"Soooo, Hanajima, what does Kazuma-san think about those tiny black naughties I got you for your honeymoon?" Arisa asked with a wink. Saki regarded her blinklessly.

"You mean, those tiny black naughties."

"Uh huh." With a another wink.

"The ones with the cute little zipper up the front?"

"Uh huh."

Saki smiled demurely. "The longest amount of time I've been able to wear them at any one given time is seven and one-half minutes." Arisa snickered.

Tohru was utterly confused by this point. It didn't help that the small glass of sparkling amber liquid Arisa had given her was making her dizzy. "Naughties? Zipper?" She thought for a moment longer, and then blushed crimson. "Ano, come to think of it, Uo-chan, I did find a little bag in that house-warming gift you gave me when Kyou-kun and I moved..."

Her two friends turned to her with wide little grins, Cheshire kittens. Tohru backed away a little, the look of "hunted rabbit" filling her enormous brown eyes.

"Soooo, Tohru, what does Kyon think about those tiny pink naughties I..."

"He hasn't seen them! He hasn't seen them at all!" squeaked Tohru, putting up her hands in front of her face in a mad attempt to cover the blush that covered her entire face. Then she began to put two and two together.

"Hana-chan? Shishou-san...liked the, erm, ah, black...naughties?"

"Mm hm."

"Does he, er, see them often?"

"Mm hm."

She thought about what Saki had said about the duration of wearing said undergarments, and then proceeded to turn so extraordinarily scarlet that both Saki and Arisa lunged forward together to catch her lest she pass out.

She maintained consciousness. But the next time she reached for her glass, both of her friends simultaneously snatched it away from her.

"I think you've had enough," Arisa said firmly, to Tohru's questioning gaze. Tohru leaned back against the cushions Saki had put behind her.

A little bit of silence. Then, "So, Hanajima, exactly how long is it?"

Saki smirked and held out her hands about nine inches apart. Arisa whistled lowly.

"How...long...is...WHAT?" gasped Tohru. Her friends turned to her and regarded her unsympathetically.

"It."

"?"

"Come on, Tohru, even you can't be that innocent."

Yes, she could.

"Well, I know that men are...different from girls, but..."

Arisa decided to drop the bomb. "Tohru, when you hug Kyon, does it ever feel really hard against his middle?"

"Some...sometimes..."

"And warm?"

"Ummm..."

"Arisa, that's enough," said Saki sharply. "I'm perfectly certain Kyou is capable of explaining everything to her at the right time." Arisa sighed. Then she pouted.

"Come now, Hana-_channn_, you take the fun out of everything."

There were no more such comments for the remainder of the duration of the evening.

Two nights later found Tohru arriving back at home. Kyou was already back from the dojo, and had started rice and tea in anticipation of her getting home.

"Okaeri," he said, going over to her when she entered, taking off her shoes. Then he gave her a little kiss. Just a little one. That was the way they did things. For now, at least.

"Did you have a good time?" he asked her. She smiled as she said, "Yes, I had a lot of fun with Uo-chan and Hana-chan!" He returned her smile and pulled her into his arms.

He was a little confused when, after a minute, she stiffened in his arms. "Ano, Kyou-kun..."

"Mm?"

She buried her face, which was flaming by now, in his neck. "Why is it, erm...ah..."

He got what she was getting at in an instant and took on her shade of red. "That...ah..." He changed the subject. "By the way, I was cleaning out the closet yesterday, and I found a little pink bag..."

**Author's Notes:** Hehe, I warned you! I leave the ending up to you to decide.


	20. A Lesson in Forgiveness

A Lesson in Forgiveness

_By Ongaku no Usagi_

Tohru was a terrific mom, and Daisuke knew it.

She made the most delicious cookies; she read aloud to him every night possible; she had the most sympathetic set of ears in the world and furthermore, she had a laugh like fresh sugar cubes melting in lemonade.

But eight is a difficult age, and Daisuke was full on into eight. And right now, he was trying with all his might to convince himself that it wasn't his fault. That the ornaments just happened to be where his ball landed, even though his mother had asked him to play with it outside. That his mother was being particularly unfair about the whole situation.

Tohru, meanwhile, was trying not to cry. The beautiful Zodiac ornament set which she had created all those years ago, before the curse had been broken, now was itself broken, scattered along the floor.

She picked up the little cat figure and tears threatened to drop from her eyes. The head had been separated from the body, and one of the ears was knocked clean off.

But she set it down and stood to face her son, cowering as he sat in the corner, red-faced, still rebellious. She had to set aside her feelings for now, to not let her emotions carry through into her discipline.

"Daisuke," she began, seriously.

He scowled. "It's not my fault," he said defiantly.

"No, I asked you play outside. This is the result of disobeying me," she said, gently but firmly.

He huffed, crossed his arms, and was silent. Then he buried his face in his arms and began whimpering.

Tohru's expression softened and she knelt down beside him. "Daisuke..." 

"Do you hate me, Okaa-san?"

She drew back the hand she had extended, startled. "Nani...?"

He lifted his tear-stained face to look at her. "Because I was bad, because I broke your ornament set. Will you ever love me again?"

She fought not to laugh over the gravity of the situation. Instead, she reached out her hand again and ruffled his hair. "Of course," she said. "Even if you make mistakes, it's fine. Because the type of person who forgives the most freely is the person who has been forgiven the most. People don't come for comfort to perfect people. They come to people who won't judge them, and that sort of person has already made thousands of mistakes."

Daisuke gave her a watery smile as they both stood up and picked up the ornaments to place them in a box.

Tohru hummed happily as she woke up the next morning, started tea, and began dusting around the house.

When she came to the shelf that held her few treasured possessions: the hat that Yuki had given her, the picture of her family, wedding pictures of her and Kyou, and the beads of his bracelet, she paused and smiled, mouth open slightly.

With childish care, the Zodiac set was pieced back together and sitting on the shelf again. She picked up the little cat figurine carefully. Sure, there were chips here and there, but they were together again, and furthermore, Daisuke had learned to try to fix his mistakes.

She smiled when she heard the little childish footsteps running down the stairs as the tea kettle began to sing.

Eight was a beautiful age.

**Author's Notes: **I think this is my favorite of the entire set so far...


	21. Collared

Collared

_by Ongaku no Usagi_

"Sensei!"

The word broke Kyou from his reverie. Not a serious reverie, in which one ponders the meaning of fate and existence; just that little moment you have between two tasks where you recuperate from one and prepare for the other. Kyou's were generally full of two thoughts: how to beat Yuki, and what to say to Tohru the next time he saw her.

But I digress.

A moment later, a certain black-haired author came running into the room, giggling as if he were five instead of more than twenty years older, and slightly huffing out of breath.

"Mitsuru's here," he panted, still a silly grin painted over his already-quirky features. "She demands the first chapter of my new novel, and I haven't the slightest clue what to write for it yet."

Kyou rolled his eyes. "Why does this not surprise me?" he asked, deadpan. Shigure pouted.

"Honestly, Kyou-kun, you're such a meanie. I ought to complain to Tohru..."

A tell-tale nerve ending in Kyou's right cheek, next to the corner of his mouth, twitched when Shigure said that. It quickly turned into a snarl.

"Just...leave her out of your perverted mind, okay? Mitsuru-san! Shigure's in here!"

"Gah!" Shigure made a rush for the door as they both heard feminine thumps up the stairs. Out in the hall, he started to make a break for the opposite end, when he almost collided with Tohru. And had an idea.

"Tohru-kun, hide me!" he exclaimed. "Huh?" asked the baffled girl, before finding herself engulfed first in a hug, and then in a cloud of smoke.

POOF! Shigure the dog now sat very manneredly at her side just as Mitsuru popped her head into the hallway.

"Ah...ah..." gasped poor Tohru, unaware of anything that was going on. It was the wide-eyed look that always came across as innocence.

The editor huffed in annoyance. "Ano," said Tohru, timidly, "can I help you with something?"

"Have you seen...that damned author...Shigure?"

Now came one of those horrid moments. If she said yes, she would be betraying the fact that Shigure had turned into the dog now lapping at her hand. If she said no, she would by lying, and hadn't Okaa-san told her many times not to lie?

It was fortunate for her that Kyou took the opportunity to poke his head out the door of his room and run his cat-eyed gaze over the scene. With a smirk, he strode over to the still-confused Tohru and the black dog, procuring a rope, and tied it around the dog's neck (much to said dog's annoyance).

"Sorry, Mitsuru, we haven't seen him, but he should be back in about ten minutes. In the meantime, would you mind waiting with Tohru downstairs?"

"Hai!" said Tohru, finally, remembering her hostess role. "Mitsuru-san, may I get you some tea?"

While the two of them disappeared downstairs, Kyou dragged the extremely pissed author by his neck into his room, picking up his clothes (fortunately unnoticed by Mitsuru...c'mon, people, suspension of disbelief, okay?) as he did so. When he had got Shigure in his room, he stood there and glowered at him until he transformed back.

Shigure repouted. "Oi, what did I do to deserve that?"

Kyou threw his clothes in his face. "You burst into my room without asking. Hurry up and put those on."

Shigure crossed his arms, neglecting the rope still around his neck. "What? You can't make me face Mitsuru."

Kyou took a deep breath and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Quick, Mitsuru-san! Get up here now, Shigure's in here!"

Shigure had no problem breaking the world record for putting on clothes.

And what do you know? He had the chapter written, anyway.

**Author's Notes: ** This story started out with one idea and ended with this. The original idea was that story ideas are usually accidents. Ironic, nee?


	22. Not My Cup of Tea

Not My Cup of Tea

_by Ongaku no Usagi_

Tohru was her world. Her meaning of love, her reason to live; that was what the petite junior-high girl with big brown eyes and the increasingly wider smile meant to her.

The tiny apartment they shared; the long hours of work; the scrimping and saving constantly: all these were worth it, just to be able to see her smile and tell her, "Okaeri!" when she came home from school.

Kyouko had some dark clouds in her past. Her parents...had cast her out. Her relatives...all rejected her. She hadn't even been able to finish high school. But Katsuya had begun to fan away those clouds and reveal the everlasting sun behind them. There was always light behind those superficial clouds.

And then the tsunami had hit. For when Katsuya left her, all those raging, smothering clouds had been released from their prison and had rushed out, all at once, swallowing her, covering her with grief and icy rain.

But Tohru had been there, all along. There, watching her mother wraith away, wanting, wanting so much to help! And when Kyouko realized it, she then recognized that she herself could keep the clouds at bay, with the strength of her love for her daughter. For herself, and for Tohru. And Tohru delivered that gift unto the people around her. That was what the gift of love meant. It was like a box of Christmas cookies that you can't eat all by yourself, so you need to give them away. A present meant to be unwrapped by many people.

Kyouko smiled wistfully as she leaned back against the wall, a cushion propped up underneath her back. Waiting, waiting for that blissful moment when she could greet Tohru with a smile and say, "Okaeri!" Because often, a smile for another person is the necessary ingredient for happiness for ourselves.

Any minute now...the clock was ticking...would she bring her friends home with her today? Would she have a lot of homework, or a test to study for? What would she make for dinner?

Her smile widened as she heard the childish footsteps trotting, louder and louder, and then the door that slid open.

"Okaeri! Okaeri, Tohru-chan!" As she leaped up off the floor and crushed her daughter in a heavy hug, not noticing her daughter startledly dropping her bag to the floor, nor the ironic smile and demure gaze of Uo-chan and Hana-chan entering behind, Kyouko closed her eyes, squeezing out little tears of pure happiness.

The world wanted her to believe that pain was unconquerable, that the draught of bitter tears was meant to be drunk without hesitation, quenching all desires for the happy life, but Kyouko didn't believe it. That wasn't her cup of tea.

**Author's Notes: **Sorry, this one was really introspective. And the last line is corny. Yes, quite corny. But I wanted to tie in with the chapter title, and I'm not changing the title!


	23. How to Lock Up an Old Hag

How to Lock Up an Old Hag

_by Ongaku no Usagi_

Shigure and Ayame were really, truly and seriously tired of "the Old Hag".

Oh, don't give me that look. You know exactly to whom I am referring. Remember? That old woman who oversees all the Sohma servants, who helped lock up Rin and refused to be friends with Akito after the curse? Ah, yes, that one, you say (even though the above hasn't happened yet in the context of this story). Yes, we are really, truly and seriously tired of her, too.

Well, sigh no more, lady, sigh no more! Shigure and Ayame will avenge you!

It all started on a sunny summer day. School was out, and new junior high students Shigure, Ayame and Hatori were already famous as the infamous "Mabudachi Trio". Not that Hatori would admit to it, of course; but two weeks in his harassed teacher had asked him, grey hair rumpled haggardly and glasses askew, to "work whatever magical influence you have over your cousins to keep their trouble making to a minimum, please. And your last paper was really brilliant, Sohma-san..."

This is already becoming a tale of digression. Forgive this author who likes rabbit trails.

"The Old Hag" had just scolded the two of them (meaning S+A) for splitting open a watermelon blindfolded in the ima (main room). Shigure had managed to hit it with such vigorous force as to splatter the juice everywhere. Did they deserve to be scolded for this? Ah, that is irrelevant, no?

At her indignant lecturing that "young masters must learn to control themselves, young masters must try to behave more like Hatori-san", Ayame merely laughed and said that the fusuma looked better with a pink-splattered "sakura" design, anyhow.

She had cuffed the two of them and then marched out. As she left, they followed her around corners, snapping watermelon seeds at her retreating back like Tiddly-winks.

Their parents had been summoned, and punishments were doled out, right in hearing of the "I told you so" countenance of Hatori.

Shigure was forbidden from reading novels for a week. Ayame was told that he had to wear only what his mother dictated for two.

They pouted, Ayame protesting that his punishment was more severe than Shigure's until later Shigure told him that he was lucky they hadn't had him cut his hair in the bargain. At this, Ayame made a face and then forcefully rubbed the top of his hair.

"Itai...Ayame-kun..." Shigure backed away, fixing his mussed hair gingerly. Then he pushed Ayame by his shoulders backwards onto the tatami mats. Thus ensued a scuffle until, finally, panting on the mats next to each other, Shigure turned his head and said, "Truce?"

"Truce," agreed Ayame, sitting up with a little groan.

Having thus annulled one another of blame, they turned vengeful intentions towards poor Kureno, passing by.

"Attack!" hollered Shigure, launching himself bodily at the younger boy, who looked up with a wide-eyed gasp.

"Shigure-nii-san what the...AUGH!" The two of them plowed through the paper doors and landed amid broken wood and torn paper on the outlying wooden walkway outdoors.

Ayame, meanwhile, whipped out his new sewing kit and proceeded to sew, in elegant embroidery on the struggling Kureno's pants, "I live for my older cousins".

When he had finished, Shigure let up the protesting Kureno, who stood up, miffed, dusted himself off, and hightailed it out of there before they could do more humiliating things to him. Ayame he was a match for. Shigure he never was, and the two of them together was a lost cause.

Their source of entertainment gone, the two of them sat down, still amid the blessed remains of the paper door, and commenced boredom.

_Sigh._

_Itch. Scratch scratch scratch._

_Harumph, phooooeee..._

_Bump, jostle._

_Shove._

_Shove harder._

_Push, scramble, topple, hit the ground, continue tussling._

_Pant pant pant._

"Truce?"

"Truce."

They were by now lying completely under the up-set foundation of the house, catching their breath, and, shall I mention, rather dusty.

It was in this state that they heard it.

The object of the consternation. The Old Hag.

"Akito-san...where is Akito-san? He really needs to try to stay in his room; he's already weak enough as it is..."

S+A turned to each other where they lay and grinned. Shigure whispered in a little sing-song, "What shall we do with the old hag? What shall we do with the old hag?"

Ayame sang back softly, "Lock her in a closet until she's sorry, lock her in a closet until she's sorry..."

"No, seriously," whispered Shigure, "Ayame, you're brilliant."

"What?'

"Really, let's do it!"

Ayame stared at him with wide eyes. "We could get in trouble."

"Serious trouble."

"Yeah."

The two obstreperous young teens gave each other gleeful grins. Then, silently mouthing "Ichi, ni, san," they jumped out in front of the unsuspecting passing "Old Hag".

She gave a gasp of surprise, but her outburst did not continue; Ayame quickly tied an embroidered handkerchief over her mouth and tied it as Shigure grabbed both of her wrists in a tight hold and began shoving her back inside the adjoining room. She protested against the silk, eyes glaring death-murders-and-no-dinner at the two of them.

Having shoved her into a closet which they deemed large enough but just barely, Ayame quickly shoved, with a little effort, a large, heavy wooden hikidashi (set of drawers) in front of the sliding door and tied the round door-hold to the matching one on the other side so she couldn't slide it open.

Mission accomplished. Though they could hear her thumping on the inside of the wall, they gave each other a high five. Then she yanked off the handkerchief and began yelling, "Just you wait! You two are in huge trouble!" deeming it more necessary to scold them for the moment than to scream for somebody to help her get out.

S+A did not waste any time getting out of the room.

They did not, however, notice the young man standing in the room-division, arms crossed and a stern look on his face, until they plowed into him. Before they could escape, they found themselves in a twin-neck-hold by the annoyed Hatori.

Still holding the two of them, he marched over to the muffled shouts behind the closet door, dragging them behind him, shoved the hikidashi aside with his foot and a little grunt, and undid the door for "the Old Hag". As he did so, he muttered to his cousins, "Honestly, why do I always have to reign you two in, can't you behave on your own...?"

The punishments this time were a little more practical; namely, the two of them couldn't be in the same room together unless Hatori was also present.

Hatori disliked the prospect, very much, and considered it more of a punishment for him than for them.

**Author's Notes:** And thus begins the Mabudachi Trio legend. More on them later.


	24. Selfish Love

Selfish Love

_by Ongaku no Usagi_

Akira...loved her only. Only!

That's truly what Ren believed.

She believed that she was the only one who belonged in his arms. Believed that one plus one could only ever equal one.

Because when he pulled her into his arms and whispered, "Only you could really save me; you are the only one who noticed my loneliness", she thought, and hoped, and believed, that she could have him all to herself, something that only belonged to her, her only! Mine, mine, by the golden seal!

The child was unnecessary.

That child, why did everyone treat it as something special. It wasn't special! It could have died in her womb three months after it came into the world, to pass by unloved, unwanted, ungrieved. And no one would have remembered its nameless face.

Yet, it had her eyes.

Akira loved that child with a love that she never received from him. Why? Why? Why was it so different? This child gave him none of the pleasures she could, so WHY was it loved more than her?

Ren has forgotten the feeling of unconditional love.

She loved Akira for her pride, and because he needed her, or so she thought. Akira loved her because he needed, desperately needed, someone to tell him, over and over, that she wanted him alone.

But he hadn't realized, not until the moment Akito was laid in his arms, that that wasn't really love. And now he knew, now he realized, that the most pure love was the kind given to a creature completely unable to return that love. The helplessness of a babe.

And having realized this, he wanted, so desperately, to share the realization of that kind of love with Ren. He wanted her to love the baby like he did, so that he and she could come together with that sort of unconditional love for each other.

But she never realized.

And so, it remained a selfish love, a poisoned love, that poisoned her lover, poisoned the child that she should have loved with the same love, that should have healed her and brought her peace to soothe her grief when Akira passed.

**Author's Notes: **This is meant to be a direct contrast to Katsuya and Kyouko (and Tohru), which, now that I think of it, was probably Takaya-sensei's intent to begin with.


	25. PMS

P(re) M(enstrual) S(yndrome)

_by Ongaku no Usagi_

Up until she was fourteen, Kagura was pretty predictable.

Her parents very early on discovered that her peculiar strength (clearly not solitarily due to her physique) plus extra excitement equaled: lots of repair bills.

And so, whenever Kyou-chan came over to play, there were smiles and hurried pushes out to "go play out in the sunshine and fresh air, yes, that's very good for young children, yes, very good indeed."

There was less to be broken outside. And so that's where they played, mostly.

But two months after Kagura's fourteenth birthday, the long-suffering Kyou found himself utterly astonished as he entered the dojo, ready for the day's training (and aware that it was Kagura's day to train, also).

He braced himself for the inevitable rush of force, either a hug or a well-placed back-kick, he didn't know which yet.

And therefore, you must only imagine his surprise (because words are insufficient to describe it), when she waltzed up with a sweet smile and a tray of well-brewed tea.

"Kyou-kun," she sang, though with less passion than usually was present, "won't you come in and have some tea with me before class begins?"

He narrowed his eyes as he took off his shoes and followed her into the ima (main room). "Kagura-nee-san, are you all right?" he asked, voice still high, with the occasional embarrassing leaps down into bass-hood.

"Oh, yes, I'm fine," she said, sitting down on some cushions and putting teacups in front of both of them. "I just feel very...light...today, as though all cares and worries were gone..." She hummed happily as she poured tea into both cups and graciously handed one to him.

"How's junior high?" she asked, eyes trained on him sweetly, waiting for his response.

He swallowed. This was definitely not normal. Kagura, despite being very sweet around other people, was rarely this...considerate...around him, especially when they were alone.

"Erm, it's...okay...I guess," he answered. "Are you sure you're all right?"

She downed the tea and put the cup back down before smiling at him. "Of course! Well, we should get changed, nee?" She got up, very lady-likely, and walked, no, glided, towards the changing room, uniform in tow.

He shook his head a little and sighed as he followed her example.

And so it continued, all throughout class. Her usual force and vigor was lacking; she sent neither him nor Haru through any walls, but she was full of sweet advice and gentle reminders. Kazuma, Kyou could see, was just as perplexed as any of them. So much so that after class, he took her aside with a concerned look. She answered with a sweet smile and light laughter.

Kyou came out ten minutes later, having changed back into his street clothes, and, seeing no one else around, assumed they had all left and prepared to go back to Shishou's house when he heard soft sniffles behind him.

He turned around, stopping short as he beheld his best friend/object of ultimate fear, sitting leaning up against the wall inside, knees drawn up to her chin, not having changed yet, though he knew she had been in the wash room. Immediate concern washed over him as he approached her quickly and sat down next to her. Her face was pale, and flickers of pain ran across her sweat-beaded features.

"Kagura-nee-san," he started, putting a hand on her head, but she leaned up against him. He could feel her shaking as he slid his arm around her shoulders and drew her up against him.

"Stay with me, just a few minutes, please, Kyou-kun?" She raised teary eyes to him. "Onegaishimasu..."

He sighed and nodded, letting her rest as much as she wanted against him. "Are you sure you're all right? Did something happen during class? Did you get hurt?"

"Yes, yes, and...no. Please don't ask, Kyou-kun, just hold me for now."

He complied. Her tears and stifled moans were starting to worry him, though.

After half an hour or so, she raised her head from his shoulder. His eyes popped open, having drifted closed during that time. A new...no, an old, very old, expression rushed upon her face. Anger, and lots and lots of energy.

Relief was replaced by anxiety just as soon as it had come. He could see her slight frame shaking in her karate uniform, not from pain now, but from ferociousity, as she said,

"GrrrrrrrrrAAAAAAHHHH! Itai, itai, itaiiiii! This makes me so mad, argh! It hurts so much!"

She then fixed a blazing look at him, which made his eyes widen as he attempted to scoot away from the volcano that had replaced Kagura-chan.

She cackled wildly as she swooped on him, picked him up by the back of his collar and began twirling him madly above her head. "Why, why, WHY the f*** don't men have to deal with this too? Why is it only girls, huh? I'm going to make you all PAAAAAAYYY!" She dropped him from the spin and kicked him as he was in midair, straight into the wall.

Kazuma-san sighed as he reentered the dojo, having heard the ruckus. "Not again, Kagura-chan, we'll have to get your parents to pay for that, you know..." he said, looking woefully at the enormous hole that had appeared in the wall that Kyou had been thrown into.

Besides his concern for Kyou-kun, who seemed to be flattened against a brick wall ten meters outside, and his annoyance at yet ANOTHER repair to his already half-destroyed dojo, he felt relieved that Kagura was back to her normal self.

28 days later, above process repeated.

**Author's Notes: **I hope I don't need to explain any of this...it was just an idea that, Kagura already being as crazy as she is, mellowed out in sort of a reverse PMS when that time came around...

Translations:

Onegaishimasu: please, I beg you

Itai: ow!


	26. Irony

Irony

_by Ongaku no Usagi_

The first kiss was bliss. Absolute bliss; like all the right ingredients in perfect quantities baked together into the best cake in the world. It was like silk; it was like chocolate; it was this, that, and every other amazing experience, all combined into one ivory moment worth every beautiful memory that had come before.

The irony was, both of them remembered different first kisses.

For Kyou, having bent with crystalline tears forming over the limp, broken body of the one he loved, the one he had crushed minutes before, had silenced her semi-conscious assurances that she was okay, as Benedict had quieted Beatrice. As he closed his eyes and let the tears flow, he felt her hand fall from his face back to the ground. The moment, had he been aware of it, was likely cocooned in the sort of glow that fireflies give off the first day of summer.

But there had been no one but himself to witness it, Yuki having left seconds before.

For Tohru, the moment was mostly shock, a little bit of terror, but all that melted away into gentle, hungry warmth as his lips met hers with a little tremble. That moment hadn't lasted long but, oh! What a moment. What a sweet, sweet tender moment. When everything that her heart had come to desire was fulfilled...

"Oh, Kyou-kun, Kyou-kun, my dear, my love," she would have likely said, had words been formable under her moistened lips.

But more, more was to come, and those moments would be even more precious than their first.

**Author's Notes: **Too brief? Well...it wouldn't be characteristic to draw it out, not with the sublime simplicity that Takaya-sensei drew these two scenes. I don't usually like to distort what the original story was, so this is this.


	27. No, and I mean it

No, and I mean it

By Ongaku no Usagi

"Absolutely not," says Yuki with as stern a look as you can get from a man who has been used to people mistaking him for a girl half his life.

It has no effect on his daughter. Nor his wife, either.

"But Otouuuu-sannnn..." says Chika at the same time that Machi says, "But Yuuuuukiii..."

"No, and I mean it." He closes his eyes and shakes his head at the two. "You are definitely NOT going out with Daisuke Sohma in that outfit."

Chika pouts and smooths the ruffles on her strapless red gown. With a loooong slit up the leg. She feels delicious in this dress. Like a big, yummy strawberry. No, that's too fat. Like a strip of licorice? Maybe. Something like that. Anyway, Daisuke is taking her out to a dance tonight, and it has been the biggest dream of her sixteen-year-old life so far.

"That dress," says Yuki, by way of explanation, "is far too old for you. And you'll catch cold with bare shoulders like that. It's indecent. I won't allow it."

Chika scowls and subsides, which is unusual for her.

But Machi has not given up yet. Hence she disappears upstairs. Her husband and daughter hear her rooting around up there, with thumps and bumps and other worrisome sounds.

But she reappears a few minutes later, carrying a delicate black velvet jacket.

Draping it over Chika's shoulders, she glares triumphantly at Yuki.

He sighs. "Okay," he says, finally, "but don't you dare take that off all night, you understand me, young lady?"

Chika smiles impishly and kisses her father on the cheek.

The moment she gets in the car with Daisuke, the jacket is off, and remains off.

**Author's Note:** I admit it...I enjoy writing about the characters I created (Daisuke and Chika). I think Machi's loosened up a bit by now, don't you?


	28. A Night at the Opera

A Night at the Opera

_by Ongaku no Usagi_

Between the swirling notes of strings, the breath of winds, and the gently vibrating notes of Susanna, Momiji quietly takes his wife's hand. She still sits there, drinking in the music, but gives him a reassuring squeeze to let him know she loves him.

They have settled on "The Marriage of Figaro" for a reason. Michiko can't understand all the German of Wagner (despite having lived in Austria for the last fifteen years), and Momiji doesn't know the French of Gounod or Bizet. So they settle with Italian, which neither of them know perfectly.

They share the box seat with a couple from Romania. Only understanding the crude basics of each other's language, they occassionally exchange hushed single words (So schon!) that the other knows.

At the very edge of the balcony, leaning over with his elbows on the banister and paying rapt attention to the conductor, is nine-year-old Hari, already aspiring to conducting and composition.

And to his right, back into the shadows with crossed arms and kicking feet, is his twin, Tori, who is not enjoying the opera. Or maybe he pretends not to enjoy it. Neither Momiji nor Michiko know yet.

The end of the second act closes, and the lights lift for the intermission. Hari looks up, startled, as though breaking from a trance. Tori sighs loudly and asks his mother, "Is this ever going to end?"

"Not til the fat lady sings," Michiko says, smiling.

"There have been like three fat ladies singing the whole time," Tori grumbles.

Momiji and Michiko exchange glances.

"Well," says Momiji, "I need to stretch my legs, anyway, so why don't we go for a walk and come back when it's over?"

Tori looks like a bird quivering at the almost-opened door of a cage. "Really?"

"Yup." Momiji places a hand on Michiko's face and kisses her, lingeringly. He never gets tired of kissing her.

"Are you sure it's all right?" she asks.

"I've seen this opera a few times, don't worry," he tells her. Then, "Ready, Tori?"

Father and son pace the street-lamp lit sidewalks of this corner of Vienna, in silence, mirrored golden hair like halos, hands shoved in pockets. They walk not as grown-up and child, but as men.

Finally, Momiji asks, "What's wrong, Tori?"

Tori looks a little glum. He really is a good kid, Momiji thinks to himself. But he still couldn't understand why Tori's reaction to music was so different from his brother's who had thrown himself into Bach and Beethoven since he was a toddler.

Finally, he admitts, "It's not that I don't like music, Papa. I do; I like listening to it, I like playing it. But...it's just that music like that, all those silly extra trills and the general...airiness...gets on my nerves. It feels really...superficial," drawing out the last word, proud that he learned it a couple of days ago.

"Well, what do you like listening to?"

"Hmm..." Tori thinks for a minute. "Well, I really liked that Stravinsky ballet we went to see last month..."

"The Rite of Spring?"

"Yeah, that one. I liked how all of the instruments were playing loud and soft, really intense, and I really liked the drums. They were really cool!" He laughs here out loud, stretching his arms out to represent how much he liked them.

"You also liked the rock music we listened to a couple of weeks ago, right?"

"Yeah. And you know what else I really like?"

"What's that?"

"I like the poetry. I really like the words. That one time we saw that German opera...Tannhauser? I just loved how the words fit into the music. Plus, I liked how loud it was, too. This stuff that we were listening to...I don't know, it's just boring."

Momiji has been listening carefully the entire time, and now he gets it.

"Okay, so let's go watch some German operas together, just you and me, okay?"

"Okay!" Tori was smiling again. It warmed Momiji's heart, truly it did. It seemed that he was bound to become a lyricist or percussionist, which he found surprising, but he was still open to.

As they reenter the opera house at the ending to find Michiko and Hari, Momiji thinks to himself, not for the first time, that there were many ways of enjoying music.

**Author's Note: ** Yeah, heavy assumption that you've read First Chair Violinist. If not, here's the deal: Momiji meets a pianist named Michiko, they fall in love (duh) and move to Vienna so he can study the violin. This takes place a long time after that, obviously. They still visit Japan, though!

Quite the musical family I've created, huh? *laughs* That's what you get from a musician, I guess.


	29. Expressions

Expressions

_by Ongaku no Usagi_

They were all gathered together, save Shigure who had managed to disappear somewhere, and, awkwardly feeling out the distance between them now that the curse had been removed, the Juunichi engaged in light conversation and polite jokes.

But the room went silent when Akito entered.

For Akito, who normally dressed in male kimono, was now attired in a flowery, dark furosode. And all of them realized, for the first time, all those little things that came together and clicked: why Akito was so much shorter and weaker than the rest of them, why Akito had such frequent mood-swings, why Akito's voice always seemed forced.

Akito was, in fact, a woman.

Ayame, Hatori and Kureno, who already knew, still had the interested expressions of those who were beholding the full blossom of a long-frozen flower. Ayame's had the further expression of: "I wonder if I can get her into lace..."

Ritsu mistook it entirely. His shocked expression was not, "OMG, Akito's female!" but "OMG, Akito likes to dress in woman's clothing too!" He was quickly corrected.

Kagura sat bolt upright, a look of astonishment, but also, surprisingly, gentle sympathy and kindness.

Kisa and Hiro both looked utterly confused, as though everything they had learned in their short lives had tumbled down into absolute chaos. While Kisa was innocently astonished, Hiro was thinking "Boy am I glad I didn't take my anger out on Akito...I really wanted to...but...hitting a girl...that sort of thing..."

Although Rin looked utterly surprised, particularly when she thought back to the completely paralized feeling she had always had around Akito, Haru thought back. Back to that day when he had discovered that Akito had pushed Rin off of a two-story building. Back when he had shoved Akito up against a wall and started to strike. Perhaps he had realized something was wrong at that moment, for instead of striking Akito, he had punched the beam of the wall. Therefore, he was only slightly surprised.

Momiji, too, had experienced times with Akito where he realized something was different. The night when his curse had broken. Akito then...seemed so fragile, too fragile. Still, he hadn't guessed she was a woman. All that had happened before began to make twisted sense.

Yuki and Kyou both were 100% surprised. Perhaps it was because they had been so taken up with Tohru that they had never even considered it. But Yuki was about to fall over from the shock, and Kyou just stood there dumbfounded.

And then Akito cleared her throat and spoke to them for the first time honestly.

**Author's Notes: **Hahaha, just a wee spoiler. I did warn you from the beginning that most of these are post-curse though.


	30. Footsie

Footsie

_by Ongaku no Usagi_

"Sorry."

"What?"

"I said sorry."

"I know you said sorry. Sorry what for?"

"For hitting your foot under the table."

"You? Hitting my foot?"

...

"Okay, I was apologizing because I felt your foot touch mine under the table and I figured it was my fault."

"You? Akito, taking the blame?"

Exasperation. "Oh, shut up, Shigure."

"Um, no."

Silence as they peruse the menu again.

"Oi, knock it off, Shigure!"

"Hmm..." A wicked grin, leaning forward, elbow on table.

"Gah!" Shuffle back in chair, vain attempt to get feet out of reach. "Seriously, if you don't stop right now..."

"You'll what?" Touchie, touchie; he's on my side, Mom!

"...I'll cut up the black silk lingerie!"

Certified horror. "You'll do WHAT?"

Grim expression. "I mean it."

Pause. "Ah, worth it."

Sharp kick. Sudden yelp. "Akito, ow!" Rubbing abused shin.

"Um...are you ready to order, or should I come back later?"

Two guilty glances up, then embarrassed faces hid behind menus. "Could you give us a few more minutes, please?" feebly.

Scrutinizing options in silence. Then,

"I said ENOUGH, Shigure!"

**Author's Notes: **I put off writing this one due to lack of inspiration for a while, and then I thought, aw, heck with it, and knocked it out in five minutes. It's pretty simple, ne? But Akito-Shigure needs a little more attention before I close out this collection.


	31. Keyhole

Keyhole

_by Ongaku no Usagi_

"Oi, Kakeru, my turn!"

"Shh, Nao, you're too loud. Lemme go!"

"_Tsk tsk_. Don't you two know better than to peep on others?"

"Who are you to speak, Kimi? You're the one who started it!"

Let us back up a little.

Yuki arrived in the Student Council room, five minutes early, as usual, took off his shoes, and dropped his bag on the desk. With a little sigh, he shoved his chair back and slid into it, letting his weariness melt away into slight dozed-off-ness.

With any luck, the rest of the "School Defense Team" wouldn't be along for ten more minutes yet, and in the meantime, he wanted some well-earned rest.

His body and mind had both been readjusting recently, since the curse had been lifted and Akito had revealed her true self to them. He didn't know why, but he felt more tired. And furthermore, anxious. The last time he had seen Machi, he had not only taken full advantage of the curse's breaking, but had kissed her. Kissed her! Without asking her permission, nothing! Her surprised expression stayed with him, burned against his shut eyelids. He didn't even know how she would react the next time they met. Maybe she would run away. Maybe she wouldn't even come today.

Groaning a little, he tossed his head where it rested on his folded arms. At least, for now, he could forget about that for a couple of minutes.

Then it happened. The buzzing, very loud, very obnoxious, buzzing of an enormous fly. And of course, because he was trying to get a rat-nap (NOT a cat-nap), it sounded unbearably loud. He turned his head to the side to shield the ear closest to its proximity.

Then it decided, fly-fashion, to land on his head.

That did it.

"Graah!" He popped up, furiously, and batted it away. Then he relaxed and dropped his head again.

It landed on his head, again. Fly-fashion.

Without moving his head, he stealthily crept up his hand and poised it, hovering, above his head. Then he smacked down with all he had.

The fly escaped. Of course. His head did not.

"Itai!" He winced as he rubbed his head where his hand had landed. "Nice one," he chided himself, "only you could manage to do that, Yuki."

The fly decided to park innocently on his hand which was still on his head.

He lost it then, got up, began chasing the fly, without any regard for what was in his way, crashing into walls, crashing into chairs, and finally...

"Augh!" (times two).

Once the proverbial smoke had cleared and he had got his bearings, Yuki gasped. There he was, on his hands and knees on the floor, and beneath him, looking up with wide startled eyes and blushing face, was Machi.

Normally, his first reaction would be to jump up instantly and get OFF. But...she looked so very cute down there, small hands next to his large ones, thin shoulders hunched up in embarrassment.

"Machi, daijoubu desu ka?"

"Ha...hai..." she murmured, still looking up into his concerned eyes. "You surprised me, that's all." Then a cross expression entered her features. "What were you doing, anyway, careening around like that? Trying to break the 100 meter dash record around the classroom?"

"Ano..." he said, rubbing the back of his neck mentally. "I don't...actually, remember, now..."

He was still observing the way her uniform rumpled in funny ways, spread out over the floor like that. The way the bow of her sailor top fell off to the side as her chest rose and fell.

It was thoughts like that that finally made him gasp and get up. "Gomen...nasai," he muttered, looking away and offering her his hand. She hesitated before she took it, and he hauled her to her feet.

For some reason, the two of them were completely immobile, even when the offending fly found the window and began determinedly hitting itself against the glass in an eternally futile attempt to escape. Yuki was still holding her hand. They stood mere inches apart.

"Machi," he began, at the same time that she said, "Yuki..."

They both laughed, gazed away, gazed back at each other. Eyes locked. Yuki's free hand found the curve of her chin. He smiled down at her as her eyelashes fluttered.

He had his answer. He needed to ask no questions.

"Yuki," she said again, but he didn't let her finish what she was going to say.

In a swift movement, he slid his hand from where it had been holding hers to around her waist, to the small of her back, and drew her body close to his. His other hand pushed her head into the crook of his neck, where she could hear the frantic, hot pounding of his heart. He swallowed and continued to breathe in haggard inhalation as she moved her arms to curl around his shoulders and neck. God, he didn't think he'd ever get tired of holding her this way, even though it was only their second time.

"Yuki," she said for the third time, "about last Sunday..."

He licked his lips. "Yes?"

"That...what we did..."

"..."

She lifted her face and looked up at him. His eyes met hers. "I...really want to do that again," she whispered.

He smiled at her and cupped her chin in his hand. "Like this?" he breathed, and bent his head to meet her lips with his.

She didn't have a chance to answer. It was not a single, solitary kiss, like the last one. It was accompanied by more, increasingly more passionate kisses, the kind where both parties approach the other with half-opened mouths.

Which brings us to the present.

Kakeru gasped as he pushed his face closer to the tiny keyhole outside the Student Council Room. "I can't believe it, that jerk, he totally didn't ask my permission first!" he fumed, steaming slightly around the ears.

Kimi sighed as she pushed him none-to-gently to the side and took her turn peering. "It's not like you would dissuade them, Kakeru-kun. Wow," her eyes widening, "they're really going at it!"

"What? What?" Kakeru engaged in a shoulder-to-shoulder tussle with Kimi as they fought the Battle of the Keyhole.

"Oi! I haven't even had a turn yet!" Nao pouted, attempting to squeeze in to the tussle.

It was fortunate that Yuki and Machi had the three of them, and not others, witness their first makeout session. Because even with a group of people _that_ whacked out, there was an unspoken agreement:

What happens in the Student Council Room...stays in the Student Council Room.

**Author's Note: ** They'd probably get in trouble for kissing at school, right? I have to assume so...Anyway, I really wanted to do a story with the student council, since they've been shamefully neglected so far, so here you go!


	32. The Walk Home

The Walk Home

_by Ongaku no Usagi_

"Onigiri!"

My "name" has been called. I have been summoned to join the Fruits Basket!

Because acceptance of the "different" is a hard thing, but it is also a necessary thing.

"Hey..."

"Yes?"

"Your nose is running."

*sniff* "Hai!"

These two...why? To take me by the hand...both of them...(which is why my nose is running, by the way, I can't reach my handkerchief), to welcome me back...I feel so blessed.

Okaa-san, are you okay with this? No...I already know the answer to that. She would smile and say, "Just be yourself, Tohru-chan!"

I cast a glance in Kyou's direction. Behind my teary eyes, I can see the embarrassed blush spreading across his face. He slides his eyes in my direction, looks away, looks back. I smile at him, and he blushes more, but he returns my smile.

I shift my gaze to Yuki. He meets my eyes and smiles, gently, warmly, giving my hand a squeeze as he does so. His other hand still carries my things.

"Are you all right, Honda-san?"

"Hai! Th...thank you for coming..."

Kyou "hmph"s on the other side. "Like we had any other choice," he grumbles.

"Go...gomen..." I say, embarrassed that they have had to go through so much trouble for me.

Wham! "Itai...you...idiot rat!"

Yuki lowers the heavy bag containing my textbooks. "You're the idiot...making Honda-san feel guilty like that..."

Kyou gasps a little and looks down at me, alerted for the first time that he's made me uncomfortable. This, of course, makes me more uncomfortable than ever, and I lower my eyes to the ground.

I feel my right hand tug back, and I turn; Kyou has stopped, orange bangs hiding his face. "That...I..." He gulps a little and avoids my gaze.

I let go of Yuki's hand and turn completely to face him. When our eyes meet, I smile.

"Kyou-kun, you've made me so happy!"

"Huh?" Confusion flits across his features.

I take another step closer and take his right hand. "Because you worried about me, you're willing to go through such lengths...I really am grateful, that you would do such a thing for me."

He shrugs. "It...wasn't really anything important," he says.

"No, it was." I release his left hand and turn back around to take Yuki's again. "You've made me very happy."

He hesitates, and then we begin to walk again. Down that road...how long is it? How many years, traveling, hand in hand?

Let's go home together.

**Author's Notes: **This chapter is based on when Yuki and Kyou "rescue" Tohru from her relatives.

Basket of Fruits is coming to an end! Thank you so much, everyone, for the kind reviews, particularly from talkstoangels77, who has consistently been offering encouragement throughout, and the thousands of hits from faithful readers. You've made me so happy! (laughs)


	33. When we meet again

When we Meet Again: The Song of Katsuya and Kyouko

_When we meet again, there will be no fireworks,_

_No rockets of sun-bright fire,_

_No sparkling chasers of darkness._

_When we meet again, the entire world will continue_

_As it has for thousands of years,_

_Unaware that two people have locked together,_

_Unaware of the love of only two people._

_But there are separations, and there are meetings,_

_And between those times there is life_

_And laughter_

_And tears, not always from sadness,_

_Because people were meant to love,_

_Were meant to share, and give unselfishly._

_We were not meant to be alone._

_We were not meant to live in _

_A sterilized cloister._

_Love and hate are hand in hand,_

_Pleasure and pain are not separate._

_A kiss or a kick? It is contact all the same._

_But there is a smile for the genuine love,_

_And forgiveness for hate and hurt. _

_When we meet again, _

_Heaven will wrap its arms around us_

_With the warmth of songs of all those who faithfully loved_

_And with the smile of God in sunshine pools _

_To wipe away all tears._

_And I will hold your hand, in final bliss, _

_In unending pleasure that will not fade,_

_And you will say to me with silken words,_

_"You persevered."_

Final Chapter of Basket of Fruits


End file.
